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Hazard Herald - 2.1.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
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for news in Hazard and Peirie County. Your reader today
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is Denise Woodside Marie. We'll begin with the online edition
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dated January twenty eighth to February three, twenty twenty six,
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which the publishers have donated to RADIOI as a reminder.
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. The first article is titled r H
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launches new Lifestyle Medicine service line by Justin Begley, news editor.
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Appalachian Regional Healthcare officially launched a new lifestyle medicine service
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line at the ARH Hazard Clinic on January twenty second,
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positioning the health system as the first in Kentucky to
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create a formal lifestyle medicine program and among only a
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few rural systems nationwide to do so. The launch was
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marked with a ribbon cutting event attended by ARH leadership, clinicians,
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community partners, and members of the media, highlighting what officials
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described as a major shift in how healthcare is delivered
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in rural Appalachia. Today, we mark a very important and
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exciting event here at Appalachian Regional Healthcare, said Nika Larian,
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ARH Vice President of Wellness. I'm really grateful to be
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joined here today by ARH leadership and providers community leaders
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as we launch our news service line. I always want
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to thank the teams that worked across departments at AARH
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to make today's event possible. Larian said the program reflects
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aarh's long standing mission to address the unique health challenges
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facing rural communities. As you all know, AARH has long
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been committed to improving the health and well being of
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rural Appalachia. She said, these rural communities often facenificant barriers
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to care. We know that rural communities face higher rates
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of chronic disease or health outcomes and fewer choices for
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preventative care. This requires us to think differently and innovatively
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about how healthcare has been delivered. Today represents a culmination
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of a lot of those efforts, she said. The Lifestyle
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Medicine service line represents a fundamental shift toward prevention focused care.
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This service line represents an evolution and a shift towards
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a more proactive form of health care that focuses more
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on prevention and whole person care with an eye for
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long term health. Larian said, it's not just treating illness
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after it occurs, but preventing it before it happens in
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the first place. While care has long been delivered here
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in Hazard, today launches a formal lifestyle service line. This
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is a different form of health care and it looks different.
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These are standalone programs with dedicated providers, time space, and
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resources to focus on lasting behavioral change and long term
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health outcomes. Larryan said the formalization of the program is
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especially meaningful in rural areas where access to innovative care
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models is often limited. This change is especially important in
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our rural communities, she said, because of the barriers that
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we face, and we're not often given the same access
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to some of those innovative frontline versions of healthcare that
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the more metropolitan areas see. So ARH is being really
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innovating in this space to bring the latest thinking in
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healthcare to rural Appalachia. The ARH Chief Amulatory Officer, Roy
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Milwey said the service line is expected to expand beyond
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Perry County throughout the ARH system. We're starting in Perry County,
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but we're going to put this everywhere in our region
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because it's important to all of us, said Melwy. We're
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very thankful to all our community partners, our ci cognitions
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are community leaders, and I have a special thank you
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to Holly Harris, our president and CEO. It's her vision
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that gets us to where we are today, her ideas
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and thoughts and passion to do great Melwy said. The
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initiative builds on arh's commitment to addressing chronic illness through prevention.
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AARH has always been committed to the health and well
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being of our patients, he said. We know that the
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rural communities we serve suffer a higher rate of chronic
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illness and disease, and that's what this service line here
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is hopefully trying to address. This new Lifestyle medicine service
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line reflects our focus on prevention and treatment of long
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term illness, not just treating illness when it occurs, we said.
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Lifestyle medicine provides tools to support both patients and providers.
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Lifestyle medicine allows us to address chronic disease while also
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supporting providers with the resources needed to practice patient centered,
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whole person care. He said. We can take care of
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you when you're sick, but we need to help prevent
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you from getting sick. That's what this program is about.
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These communities cannot improve without people getting healthier. Hazard Mayor
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Donald Happy Mobilini said the new service line further strengthens
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the relationship between the city and ARH. The city of
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Hazard could not exist without ARH, said Mobilini. It's the
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largest employer, we have the best services. This is the
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first one of these in the state. Hazard is one
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of the best cities in the state. This article is
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accompanied by a photo. The caption, which thoroughly describes the
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content of the photo, reads, Appalachian Regional Healthcare leaders and
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community officials participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony on January
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twenty two at the ARH Hazard Clinic to mark the
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official launch of arh's new Lifestyle Medicine service line, the
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first formal program of its kind in Kentucky. The next
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article is titled Davidson's serving as Provider for ARH Lifestyle
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Medicine Program Special to the Herald. When Ali Davidson walks
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through the doors at the Hazard ARH Clinic each day,
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she's not just coming to work, She's coming home. The
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Hazard native, who graduated from Hazzard High School before earning
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her nursing degree at the University of Kentucky and her
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nurse practitioner credentials in southern Indiana, has spent her career
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caring for the community that raised her. According to a
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statement from ARH now, she said she is excited to
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serve as Appalachian Regional Healthcare's lifestyle medicine provider, using this
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revolutionary approach to health and wellness back to the mountains.
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The statement said, being from a small town and coming
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back here to work to provide for many people who
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have taken care of me or influenced me in my
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life is very special to me. Davidson says, I'm beyond grateful.
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Davidson has served as a nurse practitioner with ARH since
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twenty eighteen, but when the opportunity to lead a lifestyle
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medicine service line emerged, something clicked. I knew this is
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what I was meant to do. She explains, I am
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very passionate about health and wellness and bettering ourselves. Lifestyle
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medicine represents a fundamental shift in how we approach health care.
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Rather than simply treating disease after it appears. Lifestyle medicine
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focuses on preventing, treating, and even reversing chronic conditions through
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evidence based lifestyle interventions. It's a field that encompasses nutrition,
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physical activity, stress management, sleep optimization, social connection, and the
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avoidance of risky substances, the statement said. For Davidson, the
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statement said, the appeal is personal as much as professional.
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She understands that lasting change doesn't come from drastic overhauls
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or temporary motivation. Lasting change comes from sustainable habits built
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one small step at a time, the statement said. Ask
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most people what they associate with lifestyle medicine and they'll
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likely mention diet and exercise. But Davison is quick to
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point out a crucial element that often gets overlooked. Sleep
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as important as nutrition and physical activity are to our
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everyday lives to prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease.
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I don't think many people realize the huge importance of
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sleep and its impact on your health, She says. Getting
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good quality sleep has many health benefits and is something
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a large percentage of adults do not focus on. It's
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this kind of holistic thinking recognizing that health isn't just
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about what we eat or how much we move, but
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how well we rest, how we manage stress, and how
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we connect with others. That defines Alley's approach to care.
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The statement said, when asked what makes a good provider,
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Davidson doesn't mention clinical skills or medical knowledge first. Instead,
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she talks about something simpler yet important. In my opinion,
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to be a good provider, we have to listen to
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our patients. She emphasizes. I feel that this is one
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of the most important qualities for a provider, because we
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must be able to listen to a patient's concerns and
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address them where they are. The phrase where they are
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appears again and again in Davidson's vision for lifestyle medicine.
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She's not interested in imposing one size fits all solutions
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or expecting patients to make dramatic changes overnight. She knows
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from experience that sustainable transformation happens differently. The statement said,
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when it comes to health and wellness, motivation is short term.
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In my opinion, Davidson admits candidly, motivation comes and goes. However,
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by creating small habits to practice daily, such as walking
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daily or drinking adequate amounts of water. It becomes a
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part of your daily routine that you don't think twice about.
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Davidson's hope for her lifestyle medicine practice is ambitious yet practical.
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She wants to change not just individual health outcomes, but
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the entire conversation around wellness in Eastern Kentucky. My hope
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for lifestyle medicine is to take the stigma out of health, wellness, diet, exercise,
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and explain to our community that their current state of
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health can always improve with small, obtainable habits that we
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can create together to optimize their health and longevity. She says,
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extreme changes typically do not stick, similar to New Year's resolutions. However,
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by meeting someone where they are in their health journey,
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I believe I can help many people feel better, increase
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their energy, and reduce their risk of chronic disease. Davidson
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wants everyone to know lifestyle medicine is a wonderful tool
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for anyone and everyone who wants to come visit. She says,
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I am passionate about improving the health and longevity of
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our families and friends in Eastern Kentucky. Every choice matters,
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and even small changes can have a huge impact. It's
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not about perfection, it's not about drastic changes. It's about
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meeting people where they are and helping them take the
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next small step toward better health, whatever that looks like
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for them. Lifestyle medicine focuses on real changes patients can
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make on a daily basis. Ali helps patients take control
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of their health through everyday choices. She helps them decide
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on agreed upon and sustainable choices that empower them to
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build their healthiest life, one choice at a time, said
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doctor Robin mgnanny, ARH Regional Chief Medical Officer. The next
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article is titled Skyview Housing Project continues to progress in
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Perry County by Justin Begley. The Skyview High Ground housing project,
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which broke ground in March twenty twenty five, continues to
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move forward and take shape as a major residential development
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in Perry County, according to Scott mc reynolds, executive director
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of the Housing Development Alliance. Mc renolds said Skyview Estates
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is designed as a large scale subdivision with long term
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growth potential. Skyview Estates is about a one hundred unit subdivision,
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said mc reynolds. The property up there has so much
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potential to come. The first thing that happened in that
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subdivision was the state gave us five lots to build
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the model homes. Those are the ones that we've had
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the dedications and wall raisings on those five homes. We
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started building those in March twenty twenty five, and those
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are all now sold and occupied. He said. The initial
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construction was made possible through a competitive funding process earlier
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this year. Back in early twenty twenty five, the state
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issued a NOFAH Notice of Funding Availability in which nonprofit
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builders we're able to make a pitch to the state
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that by the end of twenty twenty seven we can
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build x number of housing that comply with all the
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requirements up there, he said. Looking ahead, mc reynolds said
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sky Views infrastructure allows for additional development beyond the homes
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currently under construction. There are additional lots up there with
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water and sewer equipped on the road, with lots that
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are ready to build on. Mc renalds said there are
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some lots that would require little development to build even
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more houses by running even more roads and sewer lines.
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There's nothing to stop a unit of local government or
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non profit from applying for regular community development block grants
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or some other funding source to facilitate that. Mc renolds
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also reflected on the pace of recovery following the historic
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flooding of twenty twenty two, noting both progress and ongoing challenges.
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I think it's taken longer than everyone would have wanted,
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he said. We still have people who have not fully
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recovered and are living in poor housing or partially fixed housing.
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But the longer you get away from the disaster, the
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harder it is to maintain a direct connection. If we
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had a magic wand we could have built houses two
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days after the flood, But as years go by, people
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trying to find better housing sometimes move around a lot
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and it becomes a little less direct. A lot of
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people who signed up for the buy out program, and
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there may be people who participated in the buyout who
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weren't directly impacted. He emphasized that the Skyview development is
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not limited to flood survivors, which creates both opportunities and complications.
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You don't have to be a flood survivor to buy
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a house at Skyview, he said, so I think as
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we start selling houses there will be people who weren't
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directly impacted who move in up there. I don't think
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that's a bad thing. But I don't think we've got
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enough units on the ground yet. Breathett County during the
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twenty twenty two flood had eight hundred thirty one houses
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that suffered major damage or were destroyed. Not had four eleven,
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Letcher five seventy two, Perry three hundred and twelve. We
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haven't come anywhere close to repairing the major damage or
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replacing the major damage to these houses. That's not we HDA,
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that's we as a community. I think there's still a
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lot of work to do. Mc reynolds said the Housing
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Development Alliance has made measurable progress in Perry County, but
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acknowledged the scale of remaining need in Perry County. We've
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done a number of new repairs and a number of
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new houses. McReynolds said. We've done thirty one new homes
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for flood survivors in Perry County and sixty repairs in
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Perry County. That's over one hundred families that had seen progress,
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but we know over three hundred were affected. Said broader
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affordability issues remain one of the most difficult challenges in
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long term recovery efforts. There's been a lot of progress
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made but there's still a lot of work to do.
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He said, when everything is said and done, there is
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a bit of disconnect between what could be built and
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who was actually impacted. What I mean by that is
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homes at Skyview will require a certain level of income
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to maintain the house. So the question is what do
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you do if you lost your house and you're not
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able to afford to maintain a new home. What if
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you live on an SSI check you can't afford to
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own a brand new home even if I give it
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to you with things like taxes, insurance. And then you
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layer in all the people who were renting and lost
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their rental unit and they're not home ownership ready. So
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we're still looking for the best way to serve all
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of those folks and find solutions to make housing more affordable,
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not just here, but also in the surrounding counties that
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were also affected. The next article is titled snow Eye
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Impact Perry County. Perry County emergency officials are urging residents
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to remain cautious. By Justin Begley. Following recent winter weather
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that impacted much of the Bluegrass, Perry County emergency management
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officials are urging residents to remain cautious as temperatures are
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expected to drop into the single digits over the coming days.
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Perry County Emergency Management Director Jerry Stacy said as of
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the afternoon of January twenty six, road conditions across the
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county had improved, though hazardous spots remain right now, the
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main roads are in pretty good shape, said Stacy. The
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county has done a really good job getting to the
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county roads. Stacy said power restoration was progressing. As of
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nine am this morning, January twenty six, we still had
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around six hundred people in the county without power, he said.
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I'm currently not aware of anyone without water at the moment.
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They do think that hopefully, if not all customers without
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power will have their power restored this evening. I was
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told that at least three hundred customers would be restored
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by two pm today and the rest would be restored
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throughout the evening. Their goal is to get everyone back
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on by this evening or tonight. Stacy said. Snowfall amounts
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varied slightly across the county, with ice being a primary concern.
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We only received a couple of inches of snow and
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probably another inch today Stacy said the ice was right
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around a quarter of an inch according to the National
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Weather Service. There were a few places in the northern
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part of the county that maybe had a little bit more,
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and the southern part of the county had less. As
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temperatures fall, Stacy said drivers should remain alert for lingering
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slick areas, especially on less traveled roads. The temperature can
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get so low that salt is completely ineffective. He said,
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There's going to be places that don't get much sunshine,
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certain back roads that won't thaw any time soon, so
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there's going to be a lot of slick places out
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there in the days ahead, So if you're having to
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go out, you're going to have to be really careful.
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There's still going to be slick spots on the roads
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as we move forward. Stacy also offered safety guidance for
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residents who must spend time outdoors during the cold snap.
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If you're having to get out any in this kind
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of weather, make sure that you dress in layers. Stacy
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said that's extremely important. The more layers you have on,
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the harder it is for the air to penetrate. If
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you have to shovel snow in this kind of weather,
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make sure that you're taking breaks on a regular basis
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and not overdoing it. It is much easier to over
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exert yourself in cold temperatures like this, much faster than normal.
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He also cautioned residents to take care when using alternative
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heat sources. If you're using secondary heat, make sure you
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understand your secondary heat and know what the potential hazards
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might be. He said, make sure that you are checking
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your fire alarms to make sure their operational, and most
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of all, your carbon monoxide detectors make sure they are
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operational as well. The next headline reads Hazard Fire Department
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Promotions approved. The Hazard City Commission met Tuesday, January twenty
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and approved the promotion of three Hazard Fire Department members
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at the recommendation of Chief Robert Keith. Firefighter Braden Ritchie
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was promoted to lieutenant, Lieutenant, Jacob Smith was promoted to captain,
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and Captain Brandon Smith was commissioned to the rank of
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assistant chief. All three men were commended for their dedication
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to the Hazard Fire Department and to the City of Hazard.
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That piece includes a photograph of the men referenced in
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the article. The next article is titled Kentucky Power asks
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to institute rate increase prior to PSC decision. That's an
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Appalachian Newspaper's staff report. Kentucky Power has asked the Kentucky
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Public Service Commission to allow it to institute a proposed
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rate increase prior to a PSC decision if the PSE
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does not reach a final decision by March one. In
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a motion filed January twenty seven, Council for Kentucky Power
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asked that it be allowed to implement, subject to refund,
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either rates proposed in a settlement agreement earlier this month
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or the company's proposed rates that would increase residential customers
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bills by nearly fifteen percent. The settlement agreement would increase
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rates by twelve percent instead of the originally proposed fifteen percent.
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WEKU reported earlier this month that under the agreement, Kentucky
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Power would use deferred tax liabilities to reduce the increase
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further for two years. With the tax deferrals, WEKU reported,
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customers would see an eight percent increase over current rates
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this year and a nine one percent increase next year.
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According to the motion, The PSC has indicated its goal
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is to issue a final order by March one, but
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officials have said they may not be able to do so.
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Kentucky Power attorneys wrote that the company is aware that
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the PS has rejected lower settlement agreement for Kentucky Power
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and other companies. The next piece is titled Smith shows
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support for first responders. As preparations were under way for
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the recent winter storm, Senator Brandon Smith, Republican of Hazard,
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and his son Russo Rue Smith visited with first responders
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to show support before the storm arrived. I spent time
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thanking the men and women who keep our community safe
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and cared for when conditions are at their worst. Smith said,
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from healthcare workers and first responders to those serving seniors
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and veterans, their commitment to service does not stop for
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bad weather, and our region is better because of them.
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I encourage everyone to pass along thank you when you
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have the opportunity, especially to those working in frigid conditions
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to keep the lights on. That piece is accompanied by
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two photos submitted by Senator Smith showing him and his
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son visiting two different first responders. The next article is
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titled Perry man charged with meth trafficking. It's a Hazard.
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Herald staff report a Perry County man is facing a
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charge of trafficking in methamphetamine. According to an arrest citation
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written by Perry County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Jones, on January
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twenty two, he and other deputies went to a store
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on Kentucky seven at Viper and saw a vehicle in
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which Michael P. Quinn, sixty, of Campbell Branch Road, Viper
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was a passenger. Jones wrote that Quinn was placed into
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custody on an active warrant by Deputy Miller, who found
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several empty baggies of a type used for drug trafficking.
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The citation said that a baggie containing approximately three grams
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of a substance believed to be methamphetamine was found on
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the dashboard of the vehicle in which Quinn was a passenger.
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Quinn was lodged in the Kentucky River Regional Jail on
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charges of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance greater
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than or equal to two grams of methem fhetamine first
24:33
of fence. The next article is titled Adkins settling in
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at sore soa r by Gary Sloan of Appalachian Newspapers,
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Going from being Pike County School superintendent to the position
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of executive director of Shaping Our Appalachian Region has been
24:56
a transition for Read Adkins, an interesting transition the past
25:01
two months. Adkins said, I do miss the children, but
25:05
in this position, I feel like it continue to really
25:08
help the young people as they graduate high school and
25:11
even before. One of the biggest challenges Adkins said he
25:15
has found is the lack of informing the public of
25:18
what SORE is and what the organization can do for
25:22
the region. I feel that a lot of people really
25:24
don't know what types of services are available through SORE,
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Adkins said, to be honest, I really didn't know all
25:31
the services when I came on board. There is an
25:34
opportunity here to really help Eastern Kentucky. Adkins continued. There
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are a lot of good, positive things in place I
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think can be built upon to again make a difference
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to our community, and by community, I mean Eastern Kentucky
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as a whole. Adkins explained a recent job hiring fair
25:52
SORE held for Kentucky Power. The event went really great,
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Adkins said. We interviewed nearly three hundred people and vetted
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those people for Kentucky Power, and of those, thirty eight
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positions were hired and all of those thirty eight people
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hired were recommended by SORE, so we had an opportunity
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there to have a big impact. Adkins then discussed some
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of the things that are coming up for SORE. What
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I'm seeing is more generalized when you look at what
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we can do through SORE. Adkins said, we just secured
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a forty million dollar federal grant through the EDA, and
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that grant is going to allow us to generate several
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jobs here in eastern Kentucky. Adkins told the story of
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how he was able to help one young man. Just
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last week, I had a young man approached me and
26:43
he knew I was with SORE, and he said he
26:45
had just got laid off. Adkins said. This man had
26:49
a high school diploma and he said, I like to
26:51
find work. And I asked him what he might be
26:54
interested in, and he said he'd like to get his
26:56
class ACDL and would like to drive cross country. Adkins said.
27:02
The young man said he wanted to remain based in
27:05
eastern Kentucky. We got him enrolled in classes at Big
27:09
Sandy Community and Technical College and we are paying for
27:12
his classes and paying for his test and once he
27:16
gets through that program, it will get him back to
27:19
work and off unemployment, and it will make him a
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tax being citizen again here in eastern Kentucky, he said.
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I think that's a big deal. Adkins said the general
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lack of knowledge of what SORE does hinders its ability
27:33
to perform that kind of work. We want people to
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know that this is just an example of what we
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at SORE can do for people in Eastern Kentucky, he said.
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In addition to getting the word out about the help
27:46
SOOR can offer, Adkins is planning to return to the
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schools throughout Eastern Kentucky, with which he is very familiar.
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I met with the sixteenth Region's school superintendents last week
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in Ashland. Adkins said, what I'm wanting to do is
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we are going into each of the high schools in
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our SORE network and we're going to try to enroll
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every student in what we call our talent network. The
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talent network, he said, allows SORE to work with the students.
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In the interest of time, we'll need to end that
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article there. This concludes the reading of the Hazard Herald
28:22
for Today, which is donated to RADIOI by the publishers.
28:26
Please stay tuned for continued programming. Thank you. For joining
28:30
me and on behalf of everyone here at RADIOI. This
28:34
is Denise Woodside Murray, wishing you a very good day