Pharmacies carry burden to stop meth producers

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

Now that Kentucky is limiting the amount of pseudoephedrine customers can buy in any given month or year, methamphetamine cooks may try recruiting accomplices to buy them in batches, as they have in other states.

At Cayce’s Pharmacy, customers the workers don’t recognize have sometimes entered the store, about five minutes apart, each wanting cold medicine, Owner Mike Cayce said.

Workers have usually caught on quickly enough, Cayce said.

Health dept. could bankroll rail-trail

Director urges board to OK spending $100,000 on project

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

The director of the Christian County Health Department wants to give $100,000 from the reserve fund to Hopkinsville’s rail-trail project.

But most members of the Board of Health fear the health department can’t afford it.

They need to save enough for a “rainy day,” said Dr. Wade Northington, the board’s new chairman. Several board members noted the budget shortfall in this fiscal year, financial troubles with the school nurse program and ongoing delays in Medicaid reimbursement.

The reserve fund has nearly $2.4 million.

Some $650,000 of that will go into the general fund by this summer, but more will come in too, Health Department Director Mark Pyle said.

New health care law pressures hospitals, doctors

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

Changes in insurance reimbursements are putting serious pressure on hospitals and doctors alike — but different kinds for each, said Eric Lee, president of Jennie Stuart Medical Center, in a presentation Thursday evening.

For Jennie Stuart, much of the pressure is competitive.

At one time it only competed with other nearby hospitals, like those in Madisonville and Clarksville, for patients. But on account of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, it now competes with all the nation’s hospitals in quality measurements. If it ranks highly enough, its Medicare reimbursements don’t get docked, Lee said.

Officials: Flu shots still worth it

Outbreak started early, but still raging

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

Anyone looking for a flu shot locally would be wise to call the pharmacy or doctor’s office before making the trip. Some have run out in recent weeks.

But despite that complication — and despite how late it may seem in flu season — doctors and health officials agree that getting the vaccine is still worth it.

Though the vaccines become available in late summer or early fall, traditional flu season doesn’t start until February or March, said Dr. Keith Toms, a physician at Generations Primary Care in Hopkinsville. So it might just last longer this year.

“Thus far, it’s not showing much abatement,” Toms said. “So it may be more of a smoldering outbreak.”

Jennie Stuart to debut newsletter next month

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

Jennie Stuart Medical Center will soon start distributing a glossy four-page newsletter each month, spotlighting successful procedures and available services.

“We believe the public will learn something new every issue,” said James Goss, Jennie Stuart’s marketing director. As editor, Goss will write some articles himself and assign others to freelancers.

Each issue will feature at least two patients. The first edition, which is headed to the printing press, tells the stories of a cancer survivor and a woman who had complications while giving birth. Hospital personnel saved her life, Goss said.

Health department applies for accreditation Thursday

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

The Christian County Health Department applied for accreditation on Thursday afternoon — six months ahead of its deadline.

The next step is to get a national inspector here to spend a week conducting interviews and watching procedures. If the health department passes every test, it could get the accreditation before the end of the year.

Department Director Mark Pyle surprised his staff and board members with the news on Thursday. He invited Mike Cayce, director of the county’s board of health, to click the “submit” button on the website of the Public Health Accreditation Board. Watching it on a projector, the staff cheered and clapped.

Smoking ban’s full economic effects debated

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

Given how much Kentucky’s budget depends on tobacco taxes, would a statewide smoking ban deal it a staggering blow?

A new poll shows public support for a smoking ban is inching up every year. Though the ban likely won’t get a vote during this year’s General Assembly, state politicians, including those who represent this district, are confronting those economic questions more directly.

Between settlement payments and taxes, Kentucky collects an average of $321 million a year in tobacco revenue, according to a report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, and Rep. Myron Dossett, D-Pembroke, both said they’d vote down a statewide ban for this reason.