March 4, 2021 Issue 111
Working Toward A More Equitable Future
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably caused great pain, suffering, loss and stress for all Kentuckians. However, some communities have been especially hard hit during the pandemic. Members of the Hispanic, African American and rural communities in Kentucky have historically poorer health outcomes that have unfortunately only worsened since the start of the pandemic. Reports just recently released indicate that life expectancy for African Americans has dropped by nearly three years since 2019, and by 1.9 years for Hispanics. As physicians, we treat patients who come from a variety of backgrounds and face a wide range of barriers to care. KMA and its thousands of physician leaders have taken positive, actionable steps to help address these disparities.
KMA President Dale Toney, M.D. Featured in Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease and VacciNATION Webinar
KMA President Dale Toney, M.D. joined Sen. Mitch McConnell and other local and national health experts as part of the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease and VacciNATION’s COVID-19 vaccine webinar event.

The discussion, moderated by Candace DeMatteis, Policy Director of the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease, covers questions about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Kentucky, emerging variants of the coronavirus, and how to address misinformation about COVID-19 and the available vaccines. 

The webinar is available to view here. 
KY START (Statewide Treatment and Addiction Resource Training) Available for Clinics
KY START (Statewide Treatment and Addiction Resource Training) is a 2-year program providing ongoing education and tailored process development from addiction experts and primary care peers to clinics, allowing physicians to safely initiate and implement evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder treatment and addiction resources for patients.

The program, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid and provided by the University of Kentucky, includes:

  • Case-Based Continuing Education (CE) Activities
  • Interactive Web Conferencing Presentations
  • Academic Detailing with Clinical Experts

Up to ten clinics will be chosen for the program. For more information, click here or contact Jaime at 859-562-3292. 
KY COVID-19 Healthcare and Public Health Update Webinar

The Kentucky Department for Public Health is announcing the next COVID-19 clinical/public health situation update webinar on Tuesday, March 16 at 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

During the webinar, KDPH will offer up-to-date information on the outbreak and will cover several current topics of interest to healthcare providers and public health practitioners. Topics will include (but may not be limited to): 

- Community Prevention Strategy Changes
- Vaccination Progress and Availability Update
- Vaccination Adverse Reactions
- COVID-19 Variant Strain Update
- Breakthrough infections after vaccination
- Reinfection with COVID-19

Please register for COVID-19 Healthcare and Public Health Update Webinar on Mar 16, 2021 at 11:30 AM EDT at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/905613162489223694

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. After the webinar, all registrants will receive a link to a video archive of the presentation along with a copy of the slide deck so will be able to view at a later time if you are unable to attend.

Question and answers will be provided either at the end of the presentation up until 1:00 pm and/or through an post-presentation send-out.
Kentucky Hospital Association COVID-19 Dashboard

The latest update of the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) COVID-19 Dashboard is now available here. The dashboard is an effort to provide current information about hospitalizations and ICU bed usage rates due to the novel Coronavirus.
KMA IN THE NEWS
Physicians advocate for access to care, liability protections, public health
MEMBER NEWS
Mazloomdoost Featured in MD-Update magazine for Telehealth article

KMA House of Delegates Speaker Danseh Mazloomdoost, M.D., medical director and physician owner of Wellward Regenerative Medicine, was featured in MD-Update magazine for an article he wrote entitled “Telehealth: Modeling Healthcare’s Future.”
El-Refai Featured in MD-Update magazine for work evaluating student-athletes for heart damage after COVID-19

KMA member Mostafa O. El-Refai, M.D., MS, MBA, interventional cardiologist with Norton Heart and Vascular Institute, was featured in MD-Update magazine for collaborating with the University of Louisville and Bellarmine University to evaluate student-athletes for heart damage after having the COVID-19 virus.
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