Merger would give Jewish and St. Mary's $83 million for their assets, which would have to be used for charitable causes

If the much-debated merger between Saint Joseph Health System, University Hospital and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare overcomes legal obstacles, it could result in a $83 million payment for Jewish and St. Mary's assets that would have to be used for charitable purposes, according to law.

The money could be used for medical causes, research and to pay for historical support for the Jewish community in Louisville. The sum would make it one of the largest philanthropic funds in the city. "That would enable parent Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services to keep supporting those causes even after effectively losing control of Jewish & St. Mary's and its roughly $1 billion a year in revenue once the merger becomes final," reports Patrick Howington of The Courier-Journal.

Stu Silberman, president and CEO of Jewish Community of Louisville, said the fund "certainly means we'll be able to continue developing new and vibrant programming to support Jewish families, Jewish seniors in need, provide Jewish education." The Jewish population in Louisville is about 8,300.

News of the money came from a financial report by Catholic Health Initiatives, which owns Saint Joseph Health System. The report also suggested the hospital merger could become final as early as Dec. 31, seven months earlier than expected. (Read more)

Almost $675,000 awarded to five facilities to improve health services, reduce disparities

Grants totaling nearly $675,000 will go from the Social Innovation Fund through the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to help five Kentucky facilities improve access to health services, reduce health risks and disparities and prompt health equality in their respective communities. The recipients are:

• Meade Activity Center in Brandenburg — $250,000 for physical activity programs for children and families, including after-school and summer activities such as golf, tennis, swimming and trail hiking.

• King's Daughters Medical Center in Ashland — $124,548 for mobile health services to nearly 1,500 residents living in Elliott, Fleming, Floyd, Johnson, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin and Morgan counties.

• Oldham County Health Department in LaGrange — $100,000 for Hope Health Clinic for the uninsured. Will help about 1,200 residents each year living in Carroll, Henry, Oldham and Trimble counties.

• St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood — $100,000 for behavioral health consultations with mental health professionals for patients in Northern Kentucky who go to the emergency room to get mental health services.

• Norton Healthcare Centers for Prevention and Wellness in Louisville — $100,000 to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase access to care for 2,200 low-income and uninsured residents each year living in Louisville and metropolitan areas.

"The Social Innovation Fund grant recipients are committed to meeting specific health care challenges in their communities, thereby promoting lasting change in Kentucky's rural and urban communities," said Susan Zepeda, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. "These five grants are part of a $12 million total investment in initiatives to address Kentucky's health challenges through the Social Innovation Fund and required matching grants." (Read more)

Funds awarded to educate East End Lexingtonians about food, health

Getting community elders to talk to youth about gardening and cooking is one of the missions to be accomplished in Lexington's East End neighborhood from a $52,000 grant.

The funds will create a virtual center where community members can go to learn about food and health. "Our goal is to improve decision making about food through information," said Steve Austin, vice president of the Blue Grass Community Foundation, which was awarded the money by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

"Residents will have the opportunity to talk about what they need to make better food choices," the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. "A digital food information center will then be created so people can go online and learn about all things related to food." Printed information will also be available.

Adults and children living in the neighborhood will interview older members of the community about gardening, food preparation, cooking methods and entrepreneurship. "If we succeed here, we can do it across the city," Austin said. "We can transform Lexington, no matter where people live, to make better decisions about food." (Read more)

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky receives $1 million grant in addition to $2 million already being used for matching grants

A federal agency has given the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky $1 million, on top of an earlier $2 million, to make matching grants aimed at addressing the state's health challenges. The money comes from the Corporation for National and Community Services, which supports service and volunteering though grants and programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.

The funds have "given us the opportunity to test innovative approaches that promote lasting change where the need is most critical," Foundation CEO and President Susan Zepeda said. "The continuation funding allows us to have an even greater impact in communities as we discover new information about how to address Kentucky's health challenges."

The $3 million is being matched by the foundation, and the $6 million in grants will be matched by the recipients, resulting in a $12 million impact. The foundation announced in February grants totaling $1 million for projects that will serve almost 9,000 Kentuckians in one year. The four grant recipients were Home of the Innocents in Louisville; St. Joseph Health System in Lexington; Cumberland Family Medical Center in Burkesville; and Montgomery County Health Department in Mt. Sterling. A fifth grant was awarded to Meade Activity Center in Brandenburg in June. Each organization received $250,000. (Read more)

Promising tooth varnish that prevents tooth decay will be applied to 25,000 students in 16 Kentucky Appalachian counties

Using an innovative fluoride technique, about 25,000 children in 16 Appalachian Kentucky counties will receive preventive dental care at school, under a $1.25 million pilot project announced by Gov. Steve Beshear yesterday. The counties are Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Knott, Knox, Lee, Magoffin, Menifee, Owsley, Perry, Russell and Wolfe.

In the Smiling Schools program, children in first to fifth grades "will have their teeth painted with two fluoride treatments over a four- to six-month period," reports Mike Wynn of The Courier-Journal. "Fluoride prevents and reverses the early affects of tooth decay and slows the progress of existing problems."
(Photo by James Mann, The Winchester Sun: Emily Havens of Clark County gets the treatment)

The University of Kentucky Dental School will examine the children before and after the tooth varnish treatments to assess the effectiveness of the program. Results of a project that Beshear said inspired the program are promising. About 3,000 children in Clark County had their teeth painted with the varnish and decay rates in a group of sixth graders fell dramatically. By the third year of the treatment, decay rates had fallen from 50 percent to 14.5 percent, one of the lowest rates in the state, said dentist Rankin Skinner, who spearheaded the project.

In 2001, Kentucky children had tooth decay in their baby teeth almost twice as often as the national average, Beshear said Thursday. More than 46 percent of children ages 2 to 4 went untreated that year. "The impact of these dental problems is much more than just an uneven smile or a poor national image, Beshear said. "Dental problems affect overall health and development — everything from nutritional choices to speech development to performance in school." (Read more)

Rachel Parsons of The Winchester Sun reports that the impetus for the project was a December 2007 New York Times story about Kentucky's poor dental health, particularly that of children. Prompted by his son who read the story, Will Hodgkin of the Clark County Community Foundation contacted Skinner, who had learned of the varnish while completing a study in Ecuador, where dentists had noted big decreases in decay rates after using the substance on teeth. The foundation funded treatment for all preschool and elementary students in 2008-09, and the program is now run by the Clark County Health Department. (Read more)