Quick Takes

Kentucky legislature could have a wellness caucus

By: - August 23, 2024 12:48 pm

Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer wants the legislature to beomce “more diligent around proactive wellness. (LRC Public Information)

Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer filed paperwork Wednesday to start a new legislative caucus focused on holistic wellness.?

The Alexandria Republican, who has often touted Kentucky’s need for what she calls a “wellness revolution,” said she is hoping for approval by Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne within a week.?

Funke Frommeyer wants the caucus to look at Medicaid spending, prior authorization, pharmaceutical issues and more, she told the Lantern.

She also wants to look at “some basics around daily activity and quality nutrition,” she said, as well as focus on environmental issues that contribute to overall health.?

“My goal with the wellness caucus is to get legislators together that see issues and maybe work more closely and collaboratively on how are those issues affecting wellness, and get more diligent around proactive wellness,” she said.?

Kentucky can and should, she said, make “radical, incremental changes” to improve health outcomes.?

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Sarah Ladd
Sarah Ladd

Sarah Ladd is a Louisville-based journalist from West Kentucky who's covered everything from crime to higher education. She spent nearly two years on the metro breaking news desk at The Courier Journal. In 2020, she started reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and has covered health ever since. As the Kentucky Lantern's health reporter, she focuses on mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, children's welfare, COVID-19 and more.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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