Below you will find a list of recent press releases.  Click on the title to view the full text of the press release.

To view more headlines or archived press releases, use the green navigation options on the left.

• New Website Gives Food Benefits Customers Better Service; Clients, applicants can have quick online access to information
  Friday, May 24, 2013
  The Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) has launched a new customer service website to better assist families receiving food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). DCBS, part of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), launched the federally funded website earlier this spring to give customers faster and more efficient service.
• State Honors Foster Parents for Exemplary Service; Thirteen families recognized for transitional care of children
  Thursday, May 16, 2013
  Thirteen Kentucky families from across the state were honored today for their service as foster parents to some of the state’s most vulnerable children. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), the state agency that oversees the public foster care system, presented the awards at a Frankfort reception. Nine families from each of the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) regions received an Excellence in Service Award for outstanding support of Kentucky’s families and children, and four families received a Longevity Award for 25 or more years of service.
• Ashland-Boyd County Selected as a HeartSafe Community
  Thursday, May 09, 2013
  The Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) announced today that Ashland-Boyd County is the next Kentucky county to earn the designation HeartSafe Community, an honor set aside for communities that have met criteria to better respond to cardiac arrests. The northeastern Kentucky county joins Warren, Shelby and Jefferson counties on the growing list of communities working to be healthier and safer places to live.
• Manage Arthritis with the Walk With Ease Program
  Friday, May 03, 2013
  As part of National Arthritis Month, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) and the Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) are encouraging Kentuckians to take part in the Walk With Ease Program.
• Medicaid Managed Care Forums for Providers Scheduled
  Thursday, May 02, 2013
  FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 2, 2013) – As part of Governor Steve Beshear’s emphasis on enhanced education efforts related to Medicaid managed care, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) have scheduled forums for health care providers in each of the eight Medicaid regions during May and June. The forums will be attended by senior officials from CHFS, including Cabinet Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes, Medicaid Commissioner Lawrence Kissner, Public Health Commissioner Dr. Stephanie Mayfield Gibson and Dr. Allen Brenzel of the Department for Behavioral Health, and Brian Staples, DOI ombudsman.
• Public Health Promotes National Infant Immunization Week
  Friday, April 19, 2013
  As part of National Infant Immunization Week April 20-27, the Kentucky Department for Public Health is reminding parents and caregivers of the importance of vaccinating infants and young children under the age of two. Gov. Steve Beshear has signed a proclamation declaring the week “Infant Immunization Week” in Kentucky to further emphasize this important means of protecting health and preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
• Neighborhood Places to Host Child Abuse Prevention Education Activities; Child Abuse Awareness Day is April 17
  Monday, April 15, 2013
  Jefferson County residents are invited to attend several events and special activities at area Neighborhood Places this month to recognize children in need as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Neighborhood Place Child Abuse Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 17 will be an opportunity for every site in the community to focus on child protection awareness efforts and educate families about abuse prevention.
• New Medicaid Rates for Primary Care Services Will Mean Approximately $65 Million Statewide
  Friday, March 29, 2013
  FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 29, 2013) The Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) is encouraging more than 3,300 eligible primary care providers to sign up now to receive enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care services retroactive beginning Jan. 1, 2013. The enhanced payments are estimated to mean an additional $65 million per year statewide and are part of Affordable Health Care Act changes designed to ensure preventive services are easy for Medicaid recipients and others to access.
• Focus on Public Health
  Thursday, March 28, 2013
  The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is working to promote Public Health Week, an annual observance that focuses on critical public health issues to raise awareness and help people live longer, healthier lives.
• Statewide Awareness Campaign Takes Aim at Autism, Related Disorders
  Monday, March 25, 2013
  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 25, 2013)– Kentucky physicians, parents, teachers and caregivers who want to understand a child’s developmental milestones and recognize the early signs of autism or related disorders are the target audience for a statewide campaign that launches April 2 as part of Autism Awareness Month.
• 2013 National County Health Rankings Released
  Wednesday, March 20, 2013
  Oldham County has the healthiest residents in the Commonwealth, according to the fourth annual County Health Rankings released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The Rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
• Kentucky Receives New Funding to Fight Prediabetes Epidemic
  Wednesday, March 20, 2013
  The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has been awarded a federal grant to help curb rates of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes among residents of the Commonwealth. The award, worth $134,380, comes from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similar awards will also go to seven other states.
• Department for Public Health Gives Guidance on Reducing Salmonella Risk from Live Poultry
  Wednesday, March 13, 2013
  FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 13, 2013) – The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is reminding Kentuckians that salmonella infections don’t just come from contaminated food. Infections can come from contact with animals. Many salmonella infections occur in people who have contact with certain types of animals, especially poultry.
• Three Health Departments Earn National Public Health Accreditation Status
  Friday, March 08, 2013
  Three of Kentucky’s local health departments are among the first in the country to earn accreditation status by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department, the Franklin County Health Department and the Three Rivers District Health Department join eight other health departments that have been granted 5-year accreditation status from the organization.
• Public Health Awards Health Equity Program Grants
  Tuesday, March 05, 2013
  The Kentucky Department for Public Health’s (DPH) Office of Health Equity has awarded three local health departments with grant funding to support projects that focus on the advancement of health equity and the elimination of health disparities in their communities.
• Gov. Beshear Proclaims March Sexual Assault Awareness Month
  Thursday, February 28, 2013
  The prevention and advocacy efforts of several groups and individuals were highlighted today as part of the kickoff of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Capitol Rotunda event was cosponsored by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP). Governor Steve Beshear has signed a proclamation declaring March as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Kentucky.
• Frankfort Portrait Gallery Raises Adoption Awareness; Exhibit is part of state recruitment effort
  Thursday, February 21, 2013
  A collection of children’s portraits designed to raise awareness for Kentucky’s adoption needs is traveling through Frankfort. The Salt River Trail Heart Gallery is a traveling show featuring professional photographs of Kentucky’s foster children awaiting adoption from 17 counties in Kentucky that make up the Salt River Trail Region.
• Warren County Is Selected as a HeartSafe Community
  Thursday, February 14, 2013
  The Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) announced today that Warren County is the next Kentucky county to earn the designation HeartSafe Community, an honor set aside for communities that have met criteria to better respond to cardiac arrests. The western Kentucky county joins Shelby and Jefferson counties on the growing list of counties working to be healthier and safer places to live.
• Nominations Sought for Governor’s Volunteer Awards; Deadline is Feb. 20
  Thursday, February 07, 2013
  It’s time to honor those groups and individuals who have served their fellow Kentuckians in an exceptional manner during the past year. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 Governor’s Awards for Volunteerism and Service.
• Test Your Home for Radon
  Friday, January 25, 2013
  Governor Steve Beshear has declared January as "Radon Action Month" in Kentucky, and the Kentucky Department for Public Health is encouraging residents to start the year by testing your home for radon.