 Friday, June 30, 2023
Medicaid recipients are advised to renew insurance
 More than 45,000 Jefferson County residents could lose their Medicaid health insurance. The Kentucky Department of Medicaid Services (DMS) began unwinding COVID-19-related policies and resumed eligibility certification for Medicaid enrollees beginning in April 2023.
During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), Kentucky utilized Medicaid’s emergency authority to expand eligibility for Medicaid enrollment and suspend the renewal process. This allowed more than 240,000 Kentuckians to gain health insurance coverage.
Recipients are encouraged to renew their Medicaid insurance actively, meaning they will be responsible for completing paperwork and turning in information that shows they are eligible.
Those with Medicaid should follow three easy steps to help keep their insurance:
(1): Update their mailing address with DMS by calling 1-800-635-2570 or visit the kynect website (kynect.ky.gov).
(2): When you receive your Medicaid renewal notification, take action. The Medicaid renewal process in Kentucky will last through April 2024. Recipients or families are notified the month before their renewal with 30 days to complete the renewal process and 90 for retroactive coverage.
(3): Get free help with your renewal paperwork. Local application assistants can be found at Get-Covered-Lou.
Be sure to use caution during high temperatures
 Temperatures are expected to climb to the mid-‘90s today and Saturday. Residents are encouraged to take steps to reduce their risk of heat-related illness. Risks associated with a hot weather include:
-
Heat cramps - This includes muscular pains and spasms resulting from heavy exertion. These symptoms are often the first signal that the body is suffering from excessive heat.
-
Heat exhaustion - This includes fainting, rash, fatigue, and nausea. Skin may become clammy and moist.
-
Heat/sun stroke symptoms - These include hot, dry skin, the absence of sweat, nausea, confusion, and unconsciousness. This is a life-threatening condition. Seek medical care immediately.
To prevent risks from excessive heat, individuals should do the following:
-
Seek air-conditioning: If your home does not have air-conditioning, seek areas that do, including libraries, shopping malls, community/senior centers, grocery stores, and movie theaters during the warmest period of the day. If you must stay in a home without air-conditioning, stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine.
-
Avoid strenuous activities: This is particularly true during the hottest time of the day. Individuals who perform strenuous work during the heat of the day are especially at risk. Take more breaks, do less intense activities. Be watchful for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
-
Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing: Light colors reflect the sun’s rays better than dark colors, which absorb the heat. Protect the face and head with a wide-brimmed hat.
-
Check on family members, neighbors and friends who are vulnerable. Move them to air-conditioned places if possible.
-
Drink plenty of fluids: Increase fluid intake even if you are not thirsty.
-
Never leave pets or people, especially children and infants, unattended in cars.
If heat risks do occur, cool the body as soon as possible, and call 9-1-1 for symptoms of heat stroke. For guidance about extreme heat, visit our digital library on our Emergency Preparedness webpage to access guides in a variety of languages.
Free fans are still available
There are still plenty of free fans available at the Edison Center, 701 W. Ormsby Ave. The fans can be picked up by seniors 60 and older as well as for individuals with documented, physical disabilities on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents should ask for Alli Woosley or Sarah Teeters.
There are also fans at Neighborhood Place locations, as well as CenterWell Senior Primary Care and JenCare Senior Medical Center.
|
Air Quality Alert Day
Today is also an Air Quality Alert Day for ozone in Louisville/Southern Indiana. Forecasters believe ozone will be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange) range. Sensitive groups include seniors, children, and people with breathing ailments like asthma and COPD. Check the air quality at louisvilleky.gov/airquality
Traveling abroad? Protect yourself against measles
 As the weather continues to heat up, now is the time for Americans to make sure they’re fully protected against measles before traveling overseas.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging people to make sure they are up to date on their measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine at least two weeks before traveling internationally this summer. When people have both vaccine doses, they’re 97 percent protected against measles, according to the CDC's website. An unvaccinated person is at an extremely high risk of becoming ill, even with brief exposure.
The virus can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
The CDC advises that children get their first dose at 12 to 15 months, and the second dose around the time the child starts kindergarten. Teens and adults who have never had the shots should get two doses at least 28 days apart.
Infections often begin with a fever, followed by a cough, runny nose, or pink eye. Rashes on the face and neck appear next, then spread to the rest of the body. In the most serious cases, people can develop pneumonia and encephalitis (inflammation in the brain), which can be fatal.
Call our new number for the COVID-19 Helpline
 Need help finding a place to get vaccinated? Do you need guidance on how to safely stay home? Or, do you need assistance with making an appointment to get vaccinated? Call the LOU Health COVID-19 Helpline's new phone number at 502-574-8207 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
|
