Health News
Dr. Rice Leach, who has championed public health in Kentucky for decades, is inspiring many by the upbeat way he is battling cancer. "He has talked about it at Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health meetings and at Rotary Club meetings. His hat of choice, a gift his son John bought at Cracker Barrel, reads 'I'm having a no hair day,'" the Lexington Herald-Leader's Mary Meehan reports.
- Fayette County Board Of Health Wants To Regulate Electronic Cigarettes, Raising Some Questions
The Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health is discussing ways to restrict the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and strategies to inform people about their potential dangers, Mary Meehan writes for the Lexington Herald-Leader. This continues...
- State Health Department Says 381 Cases Of Whooping Cough Puts Disease At Epidemic Levels
The state Department of Public Health says whooping cough is now at epidemic levels. Department officials told Amanda Stephenson of WTVQ-TV in Lexington that 381 cases of the virus have been confirmed so far in 2012. The Lexington-Fayette...
- School Nurses In Fayette Cut As Public-health Dollars Shrink
Takirah Sleet, 7, and school nurse Michelle Marra assess her lunch to manage Takirah's diabetes. (H-L photo by Pablo Alcala)As public health and education dollars shrink, school nurses are caught in the middle. The Lexington-Fayette...
- Forum On Health-reform Law To Be Held In Lexington March 21
In time for the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a forum will be held in Lexington to review the ins and outs of the law. "This is not a debate about reform, but it is a chance for interested parties...
- Lymphedema Lecture On Wednesday At Sinai
If you've have lymph nodes removed, you are at risk for lymphedema, a disease that causes fluid to build up in soft body tissue Sandra Praniewicz, physical therapist at Sinai Hospital's Lymphedema Clinic, will offer helpful tips on recognizing...
Health News
Public health champion bravely fights cancer, inspires many
Dr. Rice Leach, who has championed public health in Kentucky for decades, is inspiring many by the upbeat way he is battling cancer. "He has talked about it at Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health meetings and at Rotary Club meetings. His hat of choice, a gift his son John bought at Cracker Barrel, reads 'I'm having a no hair day,'" the Lexington Herald-Leader's Mary Meehan reports.Leach was Kentucky's commissioner for public health from 1992 to 2004. He is now commissioner of Fayette County's health department, which has undergone a tumultuous transition after the very public replacement of Dr. Melinda Rowe. "I've really admired his dedication to the job," Geoff Reed, a senior adviser to Mayor Jim Gray, told Meehan. "He's just that kind of person who shows real passion in everything he does."
Leach, 71, has lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes for which he is being treated with several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Meehan reports how Leach drew inspiration from the example set by his daughter, Mary Leach Whitcomb, who bravely fought breast cancer until her death in 2007. "If that 37-year-old can handle that big mess, you better believe I can handle this," he said. Meehan's piece provides a good example of how to write sensitively and informatively about a difficult subject. (Read more)
- Fayette County Board Of Health Wants To Regulate Electronic Cigarettes, Raising Some Questions
The Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health is discussing ways to restrict the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and strategies to inform people about their potential dangers, Mary Meehan writes for the Lexington Herald-Leader. This continues...
- State Health Department Says 381 Cases Of Whooping Cough Puts Disease At Epidemic Levels
The state Department of Public Health says whooping cough is now at epidemic levels. Department officials told Amanda Stephenson of WTVQ-TV in Lexington that 381 cases of the virus have been confirmed so far in 2012. The Lexington-Fayette...
- School Nurses In Fayette Cut As Public-health Dollars Shrink
Takirah Sleet, 7, and school nurse Michelle Marra assess her lunch to manage Takirah's diabetes. (H-L photo by Pablo Alcala)As public health and education dollars shrink, school nurses are caught in the middle. The Lexington-Fayette...
- Forum On Health-reform Law To Be Held In Lexington March 21
In time for the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a forum will be held in Lexington to review the ins and outs of the law. "This is not a debate about reform, but it is a chance for interested parties...
- Lymphedema Lecture On Wednesday At Sinai
If you've have lymph nodes removed, you are at risk for lymphedema, a disease that causes fluid to build up in soft body tissue Sandra Praniewicz, physical therapist at Sinai Hospital's Lymphedema Clinic, will offer helpful tips on recognizing...