Free screenings of new Kentucky colon-cancer documentary, plus Q and A, are scheduled in Louisville, Lexington and Hazard

The Colon Cancer Prevention Project is premiering its new documentary, "Catching a Killer: Colon Cancer in the Bluegrass," in three select cities, before it starts airing on KET this summer.

The 30-minute film, which features stories from Kentuckians who have been affected by colon cancer, will be shown June 18 at the Clifton Center in Louisville; June 23 at the Central Library in Lexington; and July 20 at the Perry County Library in Hazard. It includes stories from residents of Appalachia and Louisville, two areas where colon cancer rates are the highest.

All three events will run from 7 to 8 p.m. and include a question-and-answer session with expert panelists after the film is over. Free food, music and photos will be offered before the start of the film, from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.

The Colon Cancer Prevention Project is Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s only nonprofit focused solely on work to end the second leading cancer killer among men and women. Colon cancer strikes 2,600 Kentuckians each year – making Kentucky one of the worst states in the country for colon cancer incidence – but it is highly preventable with screening.

"Catching a Killer" not only shares the heartfelt stories of our neighbors, but also shares information about screening options and resources in our state.

“Our goal is to make sure people get screened for this disease and avoid ever hearing the words: You have cancer,” Andrea Shepherd, the project's executive director, said in a news release. “We hope that after viewing this documentary, people get on the phone and start talking with their physicians and families about colon cancer screening.”

The events are free and open to the public. More information and an RSVP form is available on the project's website.

KET to focus attention on cancer with Ken Burns series March 30-April 1, live call-in program on night of April 1

Kentucky Health News

KET will show a three-night series, "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies," by Ken Burns, an in-depth look at the history of cancer, patients' stories and the "latest scientific breakthroughs that may have, at last, brought researchers within sight of developing lasting cancer cures," the network says in a news release.

The series, which will air March 30, 31 and April 1 at 9 p.m. ET, is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

KET will air companion programs to this series that will focus on Kentuckians.

Bill Goodman will host Dr. Mark Evers, director of the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky, on "One to One" March 29 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the latest news in cancer care and research. This show will also air on KET2 March 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

On April 1 at 8 p.m., Renee Shaw will host a live call-in program, "Answers for Cancer," as part of KET's "Health Three60" series. This show will offer viewers a chance to ask questions about cancer screening, treatment and recovery resources in Kentucky.

A recording of the program will air on KETKY April 6 at 9 a.m., April 10 at 11 a.m., April 11 at 4 a.m. and April 13 at 2 a.m. (all times ET).

Viewers can submit questions to the original program via Twitter at @HealthKET, by email at healthnews@ket.org, or by phone at 800-753-6237.

Panelists on the program include Donald Miller, director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville; Patrick Williams, medical director at Norton Cancer Institute; Timothy Mullet, lung cancer specialist with UK HealthCare, who is himself a cancer survivor; and Fran Feltner, director of the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health.

This show will also offer a pre-taped segment that spotlights cancer screening outreach efforts in Kentucky that target high risk populations.

Authors of The Great Diabetes Epidemic will talk on KET about its causes, myths, complications, treatment and prevention

Kentucky Health News

The message that the authors of The Great Diabetes Epidemic: A Manifesto for Control and Prevention want readers to take from their book is that "diabetes is a serious, but preventable disease, if proper early interventions are implemented through a community-based, public health approach," KET says in a press release.

Authors Dr. Gilbert Friedell and J. Isaac Joyner will discuss this message with host Renee Shaw, and look at the root causes of the high number of diabetes cases in the U.S. and what needs to be done about it, on "Connections with Renee Shaw" on KET2 Friday, March 27 at 5 p.m. ET and on KET Sunday, March 29 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Other topics discussed include common misconceptions and barriers to treatment, belief systems around diabetes that aren't based on fact, and the significant health ramifications of the disease, including complications such as blindness, amputations and renal failure.

"In Kentucky alone, for example, there are 72,000 diabetes-related cases of blindness and visual impairment diagnosed each year – roughly 200 per day," KET notes.

KET will discuss asthma Monday night: living with it, its environmental affects, and available resources to deal with it

KET's current "Health Three60" program is "Easing the Burden of Asthma," discussing a disease that hospitalizes more than 6,000 Kentuckians a year. After debuting on KET Sept. 29 at 9 p.m., it will air on KETKY Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., again on KET Oct. 1 at 3 a.m., again on KETKY Oct. 1 at 9 a.m., again in KET Oct. 2 at 4 a.m. and KETKY Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. (all times EDT).

Host Renee Shaw and guests discuss what it means to live with asthma, daily asthma management and the need for better education and support. They will also explore how the environment affects asthma, both outdoors and indoors.  One segment will look at a pioneering initiative at the Ashland-Boyd County Health Department, which sends health professionals into the homes of people with asthma to help them improve their indoor air quality and reduce asthma triggers. It will also discuss how smoke-free laws help people with asthma. Another segment will look at how to access and utilize resources to help with asthma, such as the Kentucky Asthma Partnership.

Guests on the program include Beth VanCleave, asthma educator at Kosair Children's Hospital, Louisville; Connie White, deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health; David Mannino, professor, University of Kentucky College of Public Health; James Sublett, co-founder of Family Allergy and Asthma and president-elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Henderson County Schools post videos to explain changes in meals, snacks and school fund-raisers involving food

Student Nibre Fortune chose food items at Henderson's

Jefferson Elementary School last April. (Gleaner photo

by Mike Lawrence)

To help parents and students understand the federally mandated changes in school lunches, the Henderson County Schools have posted three videos on YouTube, Erin Schmitt reports for The Gleaner.

“We decided a video would reach a wider audience and actually show parents what has changed,” Child Nutrition Director Sabrina Jewell told Schmitt. “The biggest challenge with this has been with side items of what we would typically see as a la carte items,” which were affected by the last round of changes. The "Smart Snacks" rules also apply to vending machine sales, Jewell said.

"School fundraisers involving food must also meet the federal requirements," Schmitt reports. "The Kentucky Department of Education has not given any waivers for fundraisers, Jewell said."

“We are working with the schools to meet these requirements without causing undue hardships on the various programs,” Jewell told Schmitt. “This section is very much a learning process.”

Schmitt lays out the changes in her story, which begins, "There has been less ice cream and more brussels sprouts served in school cafeterias nationwide since a federal child nutrition act was passed." To see the videos, visit www.henderson.kyschools.us and click the YouTube icon.

KET will look Monday night at why lack of sleep is bad for your health, and offer advice on improving sleep quality

We live in a country where a third of adults report that they get less than six hours of sleep a night, which doesn't seem like a big deal until you consider the health risks that are associated with insufficient sleep.

The next edition of KET's "Health Three60" will explore these risks and advise how to improve your sleep quality. The program, "Sleepless in Kentucky," will air Monday at 10 p.m. ET.

Host Renee Shaw and guests will explore links between sleep deprivation and weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, skin issues, anxiety, concentration skills and impaired motor abilities. They will also look into how screen time (TVs and computers) affects sleep.

The show will discuss sleep apnea, treatments and what to expect in a sleep study. These issues will be examined by Jay McGuire, manager of the University of Louisville Physicians Sleep Center, and Dr. Egambaram Senthilvel, pediatric sleep specialist with University of Louisville Physicians.

The program will also examine how to improve sleeping habits by changing our sleep culture, including discussion about what can be done in schools and the workplace.

Other guests will include Dr. Phillip W. Bale of Glasgow Primary Care; Dr. Barbara Phillips, professor and medical director of the University of Kentucky Sleep Laboratory; and Dr. Mohamed A. Saad, director of the University of Louisville Physicians Sleep Center.

The series is funded in part by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. (Read more.)