FRANKFORT, Ky. — Today, Gov. Andy Beshear updated Kentuckians on UofL Health – South Hospital; applications for the Recovery Ready Communities program; tax filing assistance; eviction relief; recovery and rebuilding efforts in Eastern Kentucky; the Department of Juvenile Justice and public health. He also named the Louisville Orchestra musicians and staff as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Stars.UofL Health – South Hospital Yesterday, Gov. Beshear joined UofL Health to celebrate the hoisting of the commemorative community beam at the new South Hospital in Bullitt County. The new facility will provide additional inpatient beds, enhanced emergency capabilities, an intensive care unit, a cardiac/vascular lab and increased surgical and outpatient services. The project will add 100,000 square feet of new space and is expected to create at least 100 new jobs.“I believe that health care is a basic human right. And the new UofL Health – South Hospital will provide lifesaving care and treatment for all of the people who come through the doors,” Gov. Beshear said. “The completion of UofL Health – South Hospital represents the steps we’re taking to move Kentucky forward and make it a better place to call home for our families.”Applications Open for Recovery Ready Communities ProgramToday, Gov. Beshear announced that applications are open for Kentucky communities to apply for Recovery Ready certification.In June of 2022, the Governor announced the creation of the Recovery Ready Communities program. The Office of Drug Control Policy, the Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities and Volunteers of America Mid-States created this certification program for communities across the Commonwealth. Communities are eligible to apply for this certification, which measures their services to residents seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction in three different categories: prevention, treatment and recovery support. To read more, see the full release.Department of Revenue Offers Tax Filing AssistanceGov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians that each year, the Department of Revenue partners with the IRS to operate Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites. At these sites, knowledgeable staff provide free tax filing assistance to eligible individuals and families, as well as Kentucky state government employees.This free service is available to help individuals with an annual income of $60,000 or less or any Kentucky state government employee. The window to schedule an appointment opened this week. In-person assistance will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Feb. 2 to Apr. 13.If you believe you qualify and would like to take advantage of this service, please schedule an appointment. You can find a list of all the regional taxpayer service centers on the Department of Revenue’s website.Healthy at Home Eviction Relief FundGov. Beshear said that rent and utility assistance applications through the Healthy at Home Eviction Relief portal will no longer be reviewed beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.“We will use the remaining dollars to fund programs for those most at risk of eviction and homelessness. If Kentucky receives more federal funding, the program will resume,” Gov. Beshear said. “The goal is to have an ongoing program for rent assistance.”The fund has provided 52,738 households nearly $205 million in rental assistance and more than $23.5 million in utility and internet assistance to help keep families in their homes during the pandemic.In December, Gov. Beshear announced the reallocation of $54 million through Team Kentucky’s Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund to further support Lexington and Louisville homeowners, renters and landlords who are still impacted by the pandemic. Since the program launched in February 2021, Gov. Beshear has directed over $46 million in funds to Lexington and $92.2 million in funds to Louisville.Eastern Kentucky Flood UpdateGov. Beshear provided an update on Eastern Kentucky’s stabilization and rebuilding efforts.“Next week, we will mark six months since unprecedented flooding destroyed many homes and devastated communities in Eastern Kentucky,” Gov. Beshear said. “We are making good progress, but there is much work left to be done.”Currently, 243 families are housed in travel trailers. Kentucky State Parks are now housing 28 people, down from the 360 people sheltered on Sept. 1, 2022.If flood victims need help, they should call FEMA directly or visit a Multi-Agency Resource Center. Visit governor.ky.gov/FloodResources for more information. FEMA is still approving claims and actively working to help flood victims.The Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund has raised over $13.1 million from more than 41,000 donors. To contribute, click here.Future of Juvenile Justice SystemToday, Gov. Beshear expanded upon recent steps taken by his administration to enhance youth and staff safety at the Department of Juvenile Justice in response to recent violent incidents.The Governor announced additional action to improve the juvenile justice system and called on the General Assembly to support these changes and fund the salary increase. Click here to read the full release.Public Health Update Gov. Beshear also updated Kentuckians on influenza, RSV and COVID-19. The spread of influenza seems to be declining but remains at elevated levels in Kentucky. Locations and appointments for the flu vaccine can be found at vaccines.gov.RSV activity appears to be declining in the state. People of any age can become infected with RSV, and most recover within one to two weeks. RSV can be serious, however, especially for infants and older adults.The Governor said the most recent COVID-19 data shows that the virus is increasing nationwide. Most Kentucky counties now have moderate or high COVID-19 Community Levels. He encouraged those who are eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccine booster.Team Kentucky All-StarsGov. Beshear named the Louisville Orchestra musicians and staff as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Stars. The Governor joined the Louisville Orchestra yesterday to announce the orchestra’s two-year tour across Kentucky beginning in May, playing for audiences as part of “In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour of the Louisville Orchestra.”“These musicians are the living legacy of the many who came before them, all working to build a better Kentucky. The Louisville Orchestra is meeting Kentuckians where they are, highlighting the impact an orchestra can have,” Gov. Beshear said. “Team Kentucky knows you all are going to touch countless lives – and we are grateful to each of you.”Other Posts That May Interest You

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear is traveling the state speaking about the Education First Plan.In October, Beshear announced his plan to address the loss of learning for students during the pandemic, teacher shortages, and pay increases. What You Need To Know The plan includes funding for a 5% pay raise for school staff, universal pre-K, textbooks, technology and training Beshear also wants to address mental health and provide more resources for both students and teachers The General Assembly can address the plan during the 2023 regular session In the state’s latest report card, a majority of schools fell right down in the middle in the yellow category, while about 5% of schools in the state fell in the worst ranking, the red category He’s now calling on lawmakers to address the plan during the 2023 regular session. Emilie McKiernan Blanton is a teacher at Southern High School in Louisville. She has two children in the school district and described her experience. “Before I’m a teacher, I’m a mother,” Blanton said. “I’m a mother whose daughter did not have a 1st-grade teacher, I’m a mother whose son did not have a 5th-grade teacher, I’m a mother whose son did not have a science teacher last year. I’m a mother whose daughter does not have a reading teacher right now.” Blanton said in her experience, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the teacher shortage crisis affected many school districts. “I know what it’s like to see your child’s schedule and see vacancy there instead of a teacher’s name. I know that the real learning loss is the catastrophic teacher shortage—and that it’s not really a teacher shortage, it is a shortage of people willing to work in these conditions for that money,” Blanton said. It’s one reason also echoed by Beshear to address not only the teacher vacancies and pay, but also enhance learning for students. “It’s important that the state step up and do our part, especially when we are in the third year of what will be the four largest budget surpluses in our state’s history,” Beshear said. “At the end of the budget, we’ll have 2 billion dollars of revenue that came in over expenditures. How can we not invest when teacher pay is 44th [in the U.S.] and we’re sitting on two billion extra dollars even before we look at our rainy day fund?” Beshear’s calling on passing the Education First Plan to prepare the next generation, but he says it’s harder if there are 11,000 vacancies across districts in the state. “Once again, if you recall, there are 11,000 [vacancies] in the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Marty Pollio, JCPS Superintendent. “This is not just a rural issue or an urban issue or a suburban issue, it’s not a JCPS issue. I talked to my colleagues and I stand here to represent the superintendents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. And this is in every county of the Commonwealth and also in every large district across the United States.” The plan includes funding for a 5% pay raise for school staff. “I want my children’s teacher to focus on my children and their education instead of making it in time for their second job so that they can clock in,” Blanton said. The plan also includes universal pre-k, textbooks, technology and training. In the state’s latest report card, a majority of schools fell right down in the middle in the yellow category. About 5% of schools in the state fell in the worst ranking, the red category. A little under 8% of schools got the highest, the blue category.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools held its first of a series of vaccine clinics for its students and staff Tuesday.  What You Need To Know JCPS is making a push to get their students caught up to date on their vaccines They are hosting a number of vaccine clinics during school days to do this Shots for measles, flu, and COVID-19 are being offered Around 11,000 students in the district are not up to date on their measles shot The district is offering the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), flu, and COVID vaccines for free during the school day. This comes as an ongoing measles outbreak is affecting predominantly school-aged children in Ohio.  JCPS district health manager Eva Stone says Louisville is an area of concern for a measles outbreak of its own.  Stone explains around 11,000 students in the district are not up to date on their MMR vaccine. This is nearly a tenth of the students in the district. It’s a statistic that Stone says she is concerned about.  “We have a lot of families that don’t have a place to go to get vaccines, we have uninsured students, we have families that don’t necessarily know how to navigate the health care system,” Stone said.  Tuesday the district’s first vaccine clinic was held at Iroquois High School. They sent letters to families explaining their student needed a shot.  “We would've liked to of seen a higher volume but this was our first one and so I think we’ll see more numbers as we go,” Stone said.  Still, Stone said she recognized students understood the importance of getting these vaccines.  “When you hear kids talking about protecting their families and their classmates, it is just very touching, because of them wanting to take responsibility to do something that will help others,” Stone said.  On the importance of the measles vaccine, Stone wants parents to understand how contagious it can be.  “It’s even more contagious than COVID, flu, some of the other illnesses that we have been dealing with,” Stone said. “So if a child is not vaccinated against measles and they are exposed to someone that has measles, they have a 90% chance of developing measles.” JCPS will hold its next vaccine clinic at Marion C. Moore School next Wednesday, Jan. 25.  They will hold future clinics at Newcomer Academy on Jan. 31 and Fern Creek High School on Feb. 7.  In February, district officials say they plan on hosting a weekend vaccine clinic where they will offer several childhood vaccines.  More vaccine clinic information can be found on the district’s website. 

Officials with Jefferson County Public Schools are working on getting as many students vaccinated as possible. On Tuesday, the district held the first of many vaccination clinics for its students at Iroquois High School.Dozens of students crowded into the nurse's office to receive vaccines for either measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), flu or COVID-19, as well as boosters. The clinic comes amid a measles outbreak among school-aged children in Columbus, Ohio. According to Columbus Public Health, as of Friday, 85 kids in the greater Columbus area tested positive for the disease, and of those, 34 have been hospitalized. "Because that is one state away," said Angela Hayes, a JCPS Health practitioner. "The CDC has named Kentucky as an at-risk state."The problem: More than 10,000 students in JCPS have not received their full MMR dosage, despite it being required for the district. Hayes believes an outbreak could be detrimental."At this point, we are not excluding students from classes if they are not up to date for their vaccinations," said Hayes. "However, if there is an outbreak, those 10,000-plus students may have to be excluded from the school for a certain amount of time to help protect them and others."Tuesday marked the first time JCPS offered multiple vaccinations on a large scale, but it definitely won’t be the last. Leaders say there are three other vaccination clinics planned for this semester, and they have hopes of adding many more. Beyond protecting students, it's also helping increase health care access."There are very few places students can go if they do not have insurance," said Hayes. "Being able to bring these services into the school buildings is exactly what we need to reach those students. We are bringing health care into our school buildings and giving them access that they have not had before. This is so crucial to keeping our students and staff safe."Those who showed up got whichever vaccine they wanted, and some got all three.The clinics are not just for students; staff members are able to get their doses as well.Other clinics are planned in the coming weeks at Moore, Newcomer Academy and Fern Creek.A list of schools, clinic dates and an authorization form have been sent to parents. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Officials with Jefferson County Public Schools are working on getting as many students vaccinated as possible. On Tuesday, the district held the first of many vaccination clinics for its students at Iroquois High School.

The CDC recently notified Louisville health officials the area may face a measles outbreak, similar to one currently happening in Ohio. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools are giving their students and staff an opportunity to catch up on their vaccine immunizations at Iroquois High School. This comes after the CDC recently made Kentucky health officials aware of a measles outbreak in Ohio that could reach the commonwealth. The announcement of immunizations echoed in the halls, Iroquois High School senior Jakisn Wnden was one of the students who participated. "I feel very comfortable to take this vaccine so I don't want to make them sick," Jakisn said. Students who are not up to date on their immunizations were offered flu, COVID-19 shots, and a vaccination for measles. Click here for upcoming vaccination locations and dates. [embedded content] "Currently, we have identified around 11,000 students that are out of date for their MMR vaccine," Angela Hayes, health service nurse practitioner at JCPS, said.  So now, the school district is going the extra mile to keep their students safe by bringing access to healthcare in their schools. "We are reaching students that are new to the country that have no insurance, that have no resources to healthcare," Hayes said. Jakisn said he's not sure when the last time he got his vaccines was since he was raised in Uganda. In order for students to get immunized, their parent or guardian must sign an authorization form. Jakisn's mother was made aware of him getting vaccinated and she gave written consent for the shots to be given. As of now, JCPS is not excluding any unvaccinated students from classes or activities unless it's necessary to protect other students. "If there is an outbreak that occurs in a school building, then a student may have to be excluded from school for a certain amount of time to help protect them and others," Hayes said. Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users. Have a news tip? Email [email protected], visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear has given an update on the progress of the COVID-19 memorial being built in Frankfort. The memorial will be placed in Monument Park on the State Capitol grounds and will be built using the Team Kentucky COVID-19 Memorial Fund. Construction is already underway on the memorial and Beshear said it is important. “We’re going to have lost over 18,000 Kentuckians at least through this. It’s going to be a place where people can grieve. We’ve seen heroic efforts of so many people, including our health care heroes. They deserve to be recognized,” he said. The monument is expected to feature visual, audible and tactile elements along with symbolic imagery which illustrates Kentuckians willingness to come together for each other during the pandemic. Beshear said he expects the memorial to be complete this spring. ►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.  

Gov. Andy Beshear noted that eight children have passed away from the virus, making it the deadliest flu season for kids in the state. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Influenza, RSV and COVID-19 are still making waves across the U.S., but here at home in Kentucky, the viruses are still having an impact. During a Thursday media briefing, Gov. Andy Beshear said the spread of the flu seems to be declining but remains at elevated levels. He noted that eight children have passed away from the virus, making it the deadliest flu season for kids in the state. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also appears to be on the decline but remains at elevated levels. Beshear also reminded everyone that anyone can become infected with most recovering within one to two weeks. RSV can be serious, especially among infants, elderly and those with weak immune systems. Beshear said about 16 Kentucky counties now have high COVID-19 community levels. According to the CDC, the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant is causing an increasing proportion of cases in the U.S. They don’t believe the variant will cause more severe disease than other omicron variants. Beshear is still reminding Kentuckians who are eligible to get their booster shots. ►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.   Have a news tip? Email [email protected], or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.   RELATED VIDEO [embedded content]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A letter was sent home to some Jefferson County Public School families after a district employee tested positive for Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox). The letter was sent home to families and staff members of 22 schools, notifying them that the employee who “sometimes visits the school” has tested positive within the last two weeks of visiting. JCPS is in contact with the Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness Department.According to the Centers for Disease Control, Mpox can spread through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:Direct contact with Mpox rash and scabs from a person with MpoxContact with saliva from someone with Mpox, upper respiratory secretions (snot, mucus) and private areas The district told families the risk of contracting Mpox by touching surfaces and objects like clothing and furniture is low. Symptoms of Mpox include a blister-like rash, congestion, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The district made a point to note that while Mpox is a serious illness, it does not appear to spread as easily as COVID-19.Anyone who experiences symptoms should notify the school office and stay home from school. A health provider should also be contacted.The district is closely monitoring this situation and will provide updates if any further steps are necessary.For questions or to report a positive case of Mpox, please call JCPS Health Services at 502-485-3387.Copyright 2023 WAVE. All rights reserved.

Louisville, KY (40203) Today Flurries early. Clouds decrease. Tonight Flurries and a few snow showers Updated: January 14, 2023 @ 2:14 pm