The Bluegrass State is famous for breeding horses, tobacco farms, fine bourbon, and the Kentucky Derby. Kentucky covers 39,728 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 4,269,245 people – with 1,818,221 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 U.S. Census Bureau, 90.0% of the state’s population is white, 7.7% is Black/African-American, and 2.2% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (2007).
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 (April, 2009). There are 137 Rural Health Clinics in Kentucky (CMS, 2009), and 17 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 80 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2007). 14.6% of Kentucky residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007).
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Kentucky residents in 2007 was $30,824, although rural per-capita income lagged at $24,485. Estimates from 2007 indicate a poverty rate of 21.8% exists in rural Kentucky, compared to 13.7% 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 7.0%, while in urban Kentucky, it is 6.1% (USDA-ERS, 2008).
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
Lists 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 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 KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
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.
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 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: 2008
Diagnosis: Unhealthy Economy
Author(s): Alicia Carmichael
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
Illustrates the impact of the economic recession on Kentucky's health care providers.
Journal citation: Kentucky - Rural Health Update Pages: 3
Date: 01 / 2009
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
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: 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
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.
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.
Skipa
The Southern Kentucky Initiative for Pediatric Asthma
(SKIPA) project conducted home visits to provide caregivers with
knowledge, training, and support to decrease emergency
department visits, hospitalizations, and school absenteeism related
to asthma.
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