My Old Kentucky Funeral Home

jmiller · #1 (**permalink**) 07-19-2005, 07:31 PM

When your home state makes national news as one of the unhealthiest places in the world, you don’t know whether to drink more whiskey or eat more chicken. Just goes to show you that old habits die hard. My Old Kentucky home is “similar to a third-world country” according to one doctor.

Some say its ignorance, others say it’s just one more thing to add to the image problem of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I say it’s just plain stubbornness. Change ain’t exactly something we go for around here.

According to the Louisville Courier Journal in an article picked up on Yahoo! News and undoubtedly other worldwide web news portals, Kentucky ranks among the unhealthiest states in the Union. It would be nice to say it was some genetic difficulty, but it’s largely self-induced as we continue to lead the nation in smoking, fatty and high-calorie country food, and sitting on the couch watching University of Kentucky basketball even in the off-season (i.e., not playing basketball for exercise in the summer).

On almost every health measure, except for all-around friendliness, Kentuckians flunked. The state scored second worst nationally for number of cancer deaths, fifth worst for cardiovascular deaths, and seventh worst for obesity. It all adds up to a death rate 18 percent higher than the national average.

The statistics weren’t limited to specific socio-economic conditions but reflected citizens across the board as all income levels were affected by cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes—all of which are linked to smoking, poor eating habits, and sedentary lifestyles.

"We don't have to worry about foreign aggressors," said Dr. Baretta Casey, a Hazard physician and University of Kentucky professor. "We are killing ourselves off."

Well, that’s par for the course. Most Kentuckians I know would rather kill themselves than let somebody else do it.

Though all income levels were reflected, the numbers did seem disproportionate among urban minorities and the poorer rural areas of the state. Kentucky has 43 of the nation’s 340 persistently poor rural counties.

One report out of McKee, a very small town in eastern Kentucky, regales readers with the tale of one patient with untreated cancer so advanced that she had a foul-smelling open wound in her breast.

"I see a lot of illnesses similar to a third-world country," said Dr. Sandra Dionisio of the White House Clinic in McKee, an internist trained in the Philippines.

The statewide cigarette tax was recently raised from 3 cents a pack to 30 cents, which still leaves state cigarette prices among the lowest in the nation. Number one in the United States for lung cancer deaths, Kentucky is also the nation’s top producer of burley tobacco while having the highest percentage of adult smokers. Think there might be a connection?

Kentucky’s relationship with tobacco is part of a larger, long-standing culture that it is resistant to and fearful of change. The traditional southern diet of fat, sugar, more fat, some whiskey, a cigarette, lard, biscuits, and a heaping helping of watching other people exercise has led to the state’s health woes.

Over 25 percent of all state residents are obese, which puts them at risk for heart attack, stroke, Type II diabetes, and colorectal cancer.

Governor Ernie Fletcher, who is a physician, along with Dr. James Holsinger Jr., secretary of the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services said health was a top priority in coming years.

"We've got some big mountains to climb," Holsinger said.

coder · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2005, 08:57 AM

If it wasn't Kentucky it would be another state... Duh...
Simply put, it has to be some state with the worse health. And on the flip side of the coin there has to be a state with the best health. A national balance... a ying with the yang.

I spent some years in Georgia and it is really easy to put on some weight down there. Everything fried, sweet tea everywhere (real sweet tea), and too darn hot to do anything outside during the daytime.

wrmineo · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2005, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Kentucky’s relationship with tobacco is part of a larger, long-standing culture that it is resistant to and fearful of change. The traditional southern diet of fat, sugar, more fat, some whiskey, a cigarette, lard, biscuits, and a heaping helping of watching other people exercise has led to the state’s health woes.

I'm not sure if these are your words or a quote from the report - either way, I'd say it's a bit heavy on the side of stereotyping and would be offensive to many Kentuckians to whom this does not describe.

Break out the banjos boys, we're going to family reunion to look for love!

I dare guess that stepping outside your iEntry doors in Lexington with this rhetoric would get a good 'ole southern ... greeting?

That's not to say it doesn't have some validity, but still paints a very negative and inappropriate picture of an entire citizenry, based on dated, biased stereotypes that many have been trying to break free from for generations.

I would venture to say that Kentucky's tolerance in allowing politicians to sell out our environment is a greater risk than the few to whom this dietary definition may apply. The govenor who spends less time in his own state, at our expense, is a good example of how our leadership plans to always fix things in the near future. I'm sure on his next trip to Asia, Europe, or Australia, he'll be thinking of our malnurished children.

We (Kentucky) spend the least amount of monies per student than any state in our region. Indiana, second worse in this area, out spends this state by 50% per student. This too is a priority of the govenor who allowed a state-wide crisis to occur when nearly every educator across the Commonwealth walked out on strike because their healthcare was hijacked; the governor saw fit to cut this expense while top officials enjoyed large salary increases.

The governor's latest pet project also did wonders for improving the quality of life for Kentucky. How much did we spend on the new license plate campaign? I'm sure most of us could give a hoot what's on the muddy bumpers of our cars. That is money that could have opened up a much needed health clinic in Eastern Kentucky. The governor is spending millions to research a possible downtown arena for Louisville. How much would that increase the per capita spending on our students?

While he's violating DC airspace, we're choking on the air here in Kentucky; not from tobacco, from industry that is given a blank check to do as they please because they pad the coffers of the capital cronies. Louisville disbanded the VET (Vehicle Emissions Testing) to save money and mitigate voter complaints. Just because we're not California, doesn't mean we shouldn't be cognizant of our air quality. Kentucky was once saturated with Native Americans who cared about the land - now we are surrounded by politicians who care only about profit.

You're right, we do need a change. We need to stand up as voters and hold ALL of these officials accountable; not just for their action, but also for their inactions. I don't blame Fletcher exclusively. Any official claiming to have their constituents best interest in mind while they increase their salaries, spend millions in special session for a crisis that never should've been allowed to occur - and the list is endless - should find new work! We should show them the unemployment line as many don't have any skills beyond being cunning political cons.

Your article raises some good points JMiller, but you'll have to pardon me whilst I whistle through my missing front teeth with exception as to how we are depicted - again, and unfairly. The sources who write these reports are funded (generally) by our tax dollars and I don't think they're about to correctly point blame (at the holder of the checkbook) when the stereotypes are so readily available.

{In my FEZ voice} I said good day!

:)
Rob
w®m

jmiller · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2005, 07:29 PM

nice, empassioned response...that statement was my own words based on the findings of the report and on the findings of my own eyes. But any two people will see any situation differently. However, the high rates of the stated diseases are reflections of truth...and I didn't bend it. I hate the stereotypes as much as anybody, but you have to call a duck a duck. Spend much time in Eastern Kentucky? I was born and reared there (reared is proper, instead of raised--you raise crops, you rear a child). And what I see there isn't anywhere near what I see in Lexington and Louisville. By the way, a few years ago, Lexington and Owensobro had the highest number of restaurants per capita in the nation, if that tell you anything about the demand of high calorie high fat food in the area. While I'm not, and many Kentuckians are not the unfair and stereotypical images of toothless barefoot stupid married to your sister farm boy hill billy, I know a few that ain't far off! And the stats don't lie either. My fellow citizens frustrate me to no end how they stubbornly refuse to change....but that's just one Kentuckian's opinion.

Thanks for engaging me

nottheusual1 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-21-2005, 09:13 AM

I lived in Houston, TX, for many years. We were painted as a bunch of unhealthy fat-arses (by Men's Health, no less) that did nothing but drive around from one chicken-fried steak joint to another. While there was a modicum of truth to that, in a larger sense (no pun intended), we didn't care. The "average" person in Houston still ate 4.5 meals per week out of the home.

When we previously lived in West Virginia because of a job transfer - well, enough said. That poor place never gets a break.

Now, we've moved back home to Ohio. Still, some of the same negativity exists for whatever the reason - politics, health, jobs, etc.

I guess the net-net is that you can find a disturbingly large list of "what's wrongs" with anyplace. The verdict becomes how loudly you can laugh about it - and not care what's said. You may find that this negative perception keeps the riff-raff away.

Anyway, from one Southerner (by blood) to another - Nice Tooth!!!!!

wrmineo · #6 (**permalink**) 07-22-2005, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmiller

... Thanks for engaging me

Thanks for taking with a grain of salt.

To answer your question, my mother's family is from Powell County, not too far eastern, but certainly a "mountain" mentality background. To further your "stats", my mom died at age 55 from an ascending dissecting aortic aneurysm, after having undergone a quadruple bypass at age 53 - yes, attributed to diet and genetics.

However, I still believe that the state's lack of emphasis on health care, education and environment go a long way to propogate the dietary problems.

Instead of "unbridled spirit" on our license plates, maybe we could start a campaign to create healthier dinner plates. Ashley Judd does a world of good for Kentucky Organ Donor Program - what about some star power to sway eaters and not voters?

jmiller · #7 (**permalink**) 07-22-2005, 11:10 AM

I'm sorry to hear of your mother's early passing. My psychic girlfriend is from Powell County, and she can assure you, and I'll believe her because she's scary about this stuff, that your mother is still around and looking after you...but that's beside the point...

We don't exactly have a KY-born star shortage...George Clooney and Johnny Depp might be some good endorsers of health awareness campaigns. Wynonna might be a bad idea, though.