The Bluegrass State is famous for breeding horses, tobacco farms, fine bourbon, and the Kentucky Derby. Kentucky covers 39,728 square miles, with a 2006 estimated population of 4,206,074 people – with 1,816,426 people living in rural Kentucky (USDA-ERS). Frankfort is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Louisville, Lexington-Fayetteville, and Owensboro. According to the 2005 Census, 90.4% of the state’s population is white, 7.5% is Black/African-American, and 2.0% is of Hispanic/Latino origin.
There are 97 hospitals in Kentucky, 67 of which are
located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and
Policy Analysis Center, 2007). The state has 30 hospitals
currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access
Hospitals. There are 115 Rural Health Clinics in Kentucky, and
14 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 62 sites
in the state (Kaiser, 2004). Thirteen percent of Kentucky residents lack
any health insurance (Kaiser, 2004-2005).
According to the Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Kentucky residents in 2005 was $28,272, although rural per-capita income lagged at $22,832. Estimates from 2004 indicate a poverty rate of 20.1% exists in rural Kentucky, compared to 13.4% in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 finds that 34.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 19.2% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Kentucky is 6.4%, while in urban Kentucky, it is 5.3% (USDA-ERS, 2006).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau:
State & County QuickFacts
USDA
Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
North
Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Kaiser
Family Foundation State Health Facts
Flex
Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Kentucky
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
Kentucky Association for Community Action (KACA)
State/regional organization
Works to build and strengthen the network of Kentucky's Community Action Agencies resulting in the improvement in the lives of the people we serve.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
State government
Works to improve the health of Kentucky residents.
Kentucky Division of Child Support
State government
Provides assistance to parents with minor children seeking financial support from a noncustodial parent.
Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA)
State/regional organization
Represents hospitals, related health care organizations, and integrated health care systems dedicated to sustaining and improving the health status of the citizens of Kentucky.
Kentucky Primary Care Association (KPCA)
State/regional organization
Charged with determining and promoting the mutual interests of the members with a mission of promoting access to comprehensive, community-oriented primary health care services for the underserved.
Kentucky Rural Health Association (KRHA)
State/regional organization
Educates providers and consumers on rural health issues and advocates actions by private and public leaders to assure equitable access to health care for rural Kentuckians.
Kentucky State Office of Rural Health
State government
Partners with hospitals, community organizations, and non-profit groups, in promoting health care in rural Kentucky.
Part of the Center of Excellence in Rural Health run by the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA)
State/regional organization
Promotes positive changes in programs and policies that affect large numbers of children in Kentucky.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NN/LM-GMR)
State/regional organization
Works to improve access to health information for health professionals, librarians and members of the public in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Kentucky
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research (UKCPR)
Academic/Research
Research institute focused on a multidisciplinary approach to the causes, consequences, and correlates of poverty and inequality in the southern United States. One of three federally designated Area Poverty Research Centers.
University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
State/regional organization
Created to address the unique and growing problems of rural health.
USDA Rural Development Kentucky State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: Kentucky
Web site
Statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
Health Care Excel (HCE)
Web site
Evaluates health-care quality, clinical appropriateness, and outcome assessments. Also designs customized management solutions and develops appropriate educational programs to significantly improve the delivery of health services.
Kentucky QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Kentucky AgrAbility Project
Web site
The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service has received funding from the AgrAbility Project to provide education and technical assistance to agriculture operators and farm family members who face the challenges of a disability.
Kentucky Community Level Information on Kids (CLIKS)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Kentucky Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Kentucky Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Kentucky State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
Kentucky State Medicaid Profile
Web site
Provides data on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for the state.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Kentucky
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
State Profiles- Kentucky: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Funding
Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation
Provides grants in communities where the company has operations.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Accounting for Impact: Economic Development Spending in Kentucky
Author(s): Jason Bailey, Justin Maxson
Sponsoring organization: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development
State program efforts face growing economic challenges, including the decline of traditional industries like tobacco and coal; the rising interstate competition for jobs; the new realities of global economic restructuring; and the limits brought on by a state budget crisis.
Date: 09 / 2005
Care Mobile to Serve Seven East Kentucky Counties
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky State Office of Rural Health
Discusses a partnership between the University of Kentucky Colleges of Dentistry and Medicine and the Ronald McDonald Charities to bring dental care to underserved children.
Journal citation: Kentucky - Rural Health Update Pages: 6
Date: 08 / 2005
CDBG Revitalizes Towns and Small Cities in Kentucky
Author(s): Sara Morgan
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Discusses how CDBG has been an integral part of creating sustainable change in the small rural communities throughout Kentucky.
Journal citation: Rural Voices Volume 11 Issue 01 Pages: 8-9
Date: 2006
Customizing Solutions for Rural Appalachia: Hazard Perry County Community Ministries
Author(s): Gerry Roll
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Describes how a Continuum of Care operating in rural Kentucky creates innovative plans to combat homelessness and provide services in rural Appalachia.
Date: 2007
Demographic and Economic Profile: Kentucky
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 06 / 2006
Health Care Hits the Road
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky Rural Health Association
Discusses the challenges in providing home health services and hospice in rural Kentucky.
Journal citation: Kentucky - Rural Health Update Pages: 3
Date: 05 / 2006
Kentucky's Dental Needs Demand Attention
Author(s): Julie McKee
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky Rural Health Association
Discusses acts about the oral health status of Kentucky's youths.
Journal citation: Kentucky - Rural Health Update Pages: 4
Date: 08 / 2004
KYHealth Choices Medicaid Reform: Key Program Changes and Questions
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Kentucky obtained a state plan amendment for its Medicaid program, becoming one of the first states to utilize new options available through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
Date: 07 / 2006
Rural Kentucky's Physician Shortage: Strategies for Producing, Recruiting and Retaining Primary Care Providers Within a Medically Underserved Region
Author(s): Baretta Casey
Sponsoring organization: Kentucky Rural Health Association
Study which states that Kentucky needs 600 physicians in order to meet the health care needs of residents.
Date: 02 / 2004
Small Business Profile: Kentucky
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2006
State Profiles - Kentucky: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Journals
Kentucky - Rural Health Update
Quarterly newsletter for both the Kentucky State Office of Rural Health and the Kentucky Rural Health Association.
Success Stories
Child and Family Outreach Project
The Child and Family Outreach Project was implemented in Whitley County, Kentucky, to ensure that every pregnant women and any child under the age of four receives appropriate health care and social services.
Connections Rural Health Initiative
This projects main goal is to provide health care and human services for low-income children, youth, and families in two rural counties of central Kentucky.
Focus on Telehealth
A home-focused technology project in northeastern Kentucky is leading to improved patient outcomes.
Harlan County Homeplace
The majority of the services provided with grant funds included affordable medication; free or low-cost primary health care; vision services; dental care; and assistance in meeting basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter.
James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital Telemedicine Project
This outreach project uses telemedicine technology to deliver specialty care and continuing medical education to citizens of rural central Kentucky.
Kentucky River Health Network Project
This project is part of a twofold mission to improve access to preventive care services for the underinsured and uninsured in the target area.
Kid Power
The focus of this program was to enroll eligible children and educate their families about healthy nutrition, proper diet, exercise, and the importance of weight management in improving their overall health.
Lourdes Rural Outreach Services for the Elderly and Disabled (ROSE)
Five agencies and organizations collaborated on this project that offered an emergency response system, which provided immediate response for unexpected emergencies while caregivers were unable to be with their loved one; transportation to and from services; home repairs and modifications; gatekeeper training for persons charged to refer high-risk elderly (postal carriers and waste management route workers); and a one-stop, toll-free referral service for referrals to services in all eight counties.
Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker Program
The Vanderbilt Center for Health Services’ Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker (MIHOW) program provides early intervention services to low income families in Nashville as well as other urban and rural areas in Appalachia and the Mississippi delta, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
McLean County Rural Health Outreach Program
Three new primary care clinics were established under this grant, serving three counties.
Performance Challenge
Program designed to provide affordable housing solutions to build better communities.
Rural Health Outreach Project (Hazard, Kentucky)
This project was designed to improve access to mental health, primary care, and other necessary services such as education, social services, housing, and job assistance for people with severe and persistent mental illness.
Rural Outreach Program For Elementary Students (ROPES)
The Rural Outreach Program for Elementary Students (ROPES) project in rural eastern Kentucky provides health and social services to school children in five elementary schools, three in Morgan County, and two in Menifee County.
Trauma Care in Rural Kentucky
Dr. Jeffrey Coughenour, a trauma surgeon at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in Lexington, is
working with the Kentucky State Office of Rural Health, along with ambulance services and small hospitals in
central, eastern and southern parts of the state, in an effort to establish a regional trauma care system.
West Kentucky Dental Health Project
The West Kentucky Dental Health Project (WKDHP) is a collaborative community-driven project that aims to build an infrastructure in 12 counties in rural western Kentucky to address early childhood caries and dental caries.
Western Appalachian Kentucky Health Care Access Consortium
The consortium's mission is to improve access to primary care and dental care among low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents, with a special emphasis on providing outreach services for the unmet needs of an expanding Latino population.
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