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Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Thank you to all the local health department staff and KDPH staff for putting our community’s health before your own. With the recent increase of COVID-19 cases, devastating tornadoes in Western Kentucky and winter weather, your critical response efforts have not gone unnoticed. We thank you for your endless sacrifices and your continuous fight on the front line. Thank you for being brave and having unconditional care, love and kindness to those you serve. You are appreciated more than you know.
KDPH received the 2021 Partners in Prevention Award from PCAK
On behalf of the KDPH, Commissioner Stack accepted a 2021 Partner in Prevention award from Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK) during a special virtual awards ceremony held on December 29, 2021. Also in attendance were Deputy Commissioner Dr. Connie White and Director of Maternal and Child Health, Dr. Henrietta Bada, as well as numerous other maternal and child health employees representing HANDS, First Steps and other public health offered family-focused statewide programs.
Annually, PCAK provides recognition to a small group of partners who embody the word “partner” and who go “above and beyond” in their service to families and children. The award was presented to Commissioner Stack in recognition of the dedication and service all public health employees have performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This award represents one small way PCAK can say “thank you” to public health employees for your efforts to support and strengthen Kentucky’s families and children.
PCAK salutes the hard-working employees of Kentucky’s Public Health Department for all your hard work in keeping our most vulnerable citizens healthy and safe, especially during the past two years.
For more information on Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, please visit their website, here.
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February is Kentucky Heart Month |
This February, the Kentucky Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (KHDSP) is asking Kentuckians to incorporate regular physical activity in their daily routine, make heart-healthy nutritional choices, stop using tobacco products and talk to their health care provider about ways to control high blood pressure and cholesterol.
The first Friday of Heart Month, February 4th, is National Wear Red Day. As part of the American Heart Associations’ Go Red for Women initiative, coast to coast, landmarks, news anchors and neighborhoods go red to raise awareness and support for the fight against heart disease. We encourage you to wear red too!
Anyone interested in learning more about Heart Month or Wear Red Day is invited to contact the Kentucky Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program at Khdsp@ky.gov or at 502.564.7996
 Michelle Malicote recently joined the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) team as the newest branch manager over School Health.
Dr. Bethany Hodge recently joined the Epidemiology and Health Planning (EHP) team as the newest Infectious Disease Branch Manager.
Welcome to all new staff who recently joined our KDPH family, we’re so glad you’re here!
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Helpful Resources
KDPH staff- If you haven't added the intranet site to your favorites, do so now! Here you will find KDPH plans, policies, org charts, phone listings and so much more! https://chfsnet.ky.gov/dph/Pages/home.aspx
 Kentucky’s Public Health System Is Changing is a brief video that provides a simple explanation of public health transformation. KDPH Office of Health Equity Director Vivian Lasley-Bibbs and Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack narrate this light but informative video about the why and how of Public Health Transformation and what we hope to accomplish throughout this journey of change.
A Name Change: Kentucky Office of Community Health Workers (KOCHW)
The Kentucky Office of Community Health Workers (KOCHW) led by Laura Erich, MPH, in the Division of Prevention and Quality Improvement recently changed its name to more accurately reflect its form and function within the state. Formerly known as the Kentucky Community Health Worker Program, this name change improves communication and understanding of its role when participating with Community Health Worker (CHW) programs and in collaborative efforts across the Cabinet, the Commonwealth and nationally.
The KOCHW aims to maintain program integrity and ensure that CHW-related projects are in-line with the current standards and policies as well as expand and elevate the CHW profession through leadership, technical support, and strategic direction.
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The Kentucky Department for Public Health’s (KDPH) Harm Reduction Program is now located within the Division of Public Health Protection and Safety (PHPS) under the direction of Rebecca Gillis, MPH, CHES, RS, who is the Division Director for PHPS. Three personnel within the Harm Reduction Program will help coordinate Department-wide harm reduction activities in response to the Opioid Epidemic in Kentucky. The program supports naloxone distribution in the state through their mobile harm reduction unit and coordinates with local health departments (LHD) and the Kentucky Income Reinvestment Program (KIRP) to conduct HIV and Hep C testing. In addition, a Program Coordinator will be hired to oversee and implement the First Responders-Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (FR-CARA) grant which provides free naloxone and training to first responders in 21 southeastern Kentucky counties. To further expand harm reduction activities, staff within KDPH’s Harm Reduction Program also manages the Syringe Services Program (SSP) Expansion Project for 40 LHDs in partnership with the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE). These activities and many more, including the 2022 Kentucky Harm Reduction Summit, will now rest with Chase Barnes, MPH Candidate, Harm Reduction Program Manager, Drew Ritzel, MPH, Public Health Educator and a new FR-CARA Program Coordinator as DPH grows this program under the supervision of Jim House, MEP, Health Program Administrator.
Look What We Accomplished - Some end of year numbers for 2021
- The number of doses ordered through the Kentucky Immunization Branch in 2021 for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) and the Vaccines for Adult (VFA) Programs was 904,785 doses.
- The Vaccine Accountability Section in regards to doses ordered in 2021 there were 3,549,550 COVID doses ordered through the Kentucky Immunization Branch. If you add in doses that were shipped to Kentucky but order through the other federal programs, the number of COVID doses is 7,419,380.
- The number of Newborn Screens for 2021: Initial screens 49,516 Repeat screens 2,941 for a total of 52,457.
- For KPAP 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021
- Total Number of Orders: 17,344 (New Orders: 6,289; Renewal orders: 11,055)
- Total Number of Patients Served: 3,715
- Total Value of the Medications: $42,704,422.00
- Adult Quitline (Quit Now Kentucky / 1-800-QUIT-NOW) calls in 2021: 7,739
- A nearly 20% increase over 2020; from 6,487 to 7,739
- Youth Quitline (My Life, My Quit) enrollees: 62
- A nearly 60% increase over 2020; from 39 to 62
- Total SSPs: 86,813 for 3 Quarters, 4th Quarter data is being processed.
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