KCHC October Newsletter

Kentucky Coalition For Healthy Children Newsletter

Issue 53 | October 2026

Working collaboratively on policies and practices in and around schools that promote equity and improve the physical, social, and emotional health and well-being of children, youth, and families.

The opinions and viewpoints expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the positions of all coalition partners.

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KCHC Member Highlights

Series | State & Federal Policy Updates

Join the ThriveKY Coalition’s series for important updates on the economy, Medicaid, KCHIP, SNAP, housing, transportation, childcare, public health, and behavioral health. There is a virtual program being held on October 6 that will include members from Kentucky's Cabinet for Health & Family Services. For more information about the series, CEUs, and how to register for this program click here.

Event | HANDS Baby Shower

The Kentucky Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program is hosting a baby shower event in Louisville on October 13 in partnership with Passport by Molina Healthcare. The event is open to those who are currently pregnant or have a baby under 6 weeks old. There will be games, prizes, diapers, and more. This flyer has more information.

Workshop | Applied Suicide Intervention Skills

Mental Health America of Kentucky is hosting a LivingWorks ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) in Morehead on Oct 13-14. You don’t need to be a counselor or mental health professional – just someone who’s willing to care, to listen and to take action. This training is offered to UK St. Claire, CMHC, and CCBHC employees at no cost. Tickets for other Kentucky residents and employees are available at $25 each. More information about this 2-day event, including how to register, can be found on this flyer.

Training │KYHN Fall Event

The Kentucky Youth Health Network (KYHN) is partnering with Aetna Better Health of Kentucky to provide a free training opportunity, Problematic Sexualized Behaviors, on October 15. This training addresses sensitive topics related to healthy boundaries and appropriate behavior, its primary goal is to strengthen caregivers’ ability to create safe, supportive environments for children. Learn more and register here.

Convening | Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children

Join Kentucky Youth Advocates and CASA of the Heartland on October 16 in Elizabethtown as they bring together local advocates and decision makers to discuss regional data on how kids are faring, elevate the most pressing issues impacting kids and families, and identify actionable strategies for change. Attendees will learn about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, policy priorities that support kids and families, and upcoming advocacy opportunities. More information can be found here.

Symposium │ Raising Resilient Kids in a Digital World

The 15th annual Pediatric Behavioral and Mental Health Symposium, Raising Resilient Kids in a Digital World, will be held October 30. The Livestream Virtual Conference will discuss the impact of social media and AI on child mental health, learning, behavior, identity and resilience and identify evidence-based strategies that promote healthy, resilient digital engagement for children and families. Register here.

Webinar | Preventing Eating Disorders

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is hosting Health for a Change: Preventing Eating Disorders on November 17. This webinar will explore how we can better understand, recognize, and prevent eating disorders, while creating more informed and supportive conversations around eating, body image and health. More details and how to register can be found here.

Annual Meeting | Kentucky Voices for Health

Kentucky Voices for Health’s 2026 Annual Meeting is happening on December 8 in Lexington. Registration is now open with early bird pricing available until November 9. This gathering brings together the advocates, partners, health workers, and community members who make our work possible. It’s a chance to look back at what we’ve accomplished together, take stock of where Kentucky’s health policy landscape stands, and set our sights on what’s ahead in 2027. Learn more here.

What's New in Children's Health

New and Important Tools for School Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance for preventing infections in K-12 schools, brining together practical strategies to reduce the spread of respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses and help limit illness-related absences. The guidance summarizes everyday prevention measures, clear policies for when students should stay home, and coordination among schools, families and local health departments.

The CDC has also launched a Be Ready for Measles Toolkit with resources specifically for schools and public health agencies, including sample school messages, health alerts, and prevention materials. The toolkit notes that 3,659 confirmed measle cases had been reported in the U.S. as of September 24, 2026, including cases in Kentucky. The CDC continues to identify MMR vaccination as the most important tool for preventing measles.

Childhood Obesity: The Numbers Behind the Challenge

The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) 2026 State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America report finds that obesity continues to affect children and adolescents across the U.S. About 21.1% of children and adolescents ages 2-19 had obesity in 2021-2023, an youth obesity rate has increased 9% since 2017-2018.

The report highlights the importance of policies and programs that make healthy food and physical activity more accessible to children and families, including school meals, WIC, Summer EBT, safe routes to school, and family healthy-weight programs. It also examines how the new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will shape federal nutrition programs serving millions of children and families.

Teens Adjust to School Cellphone Bans

A new Brookings research and survey, A Year Later, What Teens Tell Us About School Cellphone Bans, offers a year-end look at how teens experienced school cellphone restrictions during the 2025-2026 school year. While phone use at school increased over the year, the increase was smaller in schools with stricter bell-to-bell policies. Among teens in those schools, reported phone use during core classes rose from 25% in October to 35% in May, compared with an increase from 32% to more than 50% in schools with less restrictive policies.

Teens’ attitudes towards cellphone restrictions also became less negative over the school year. The share reporting that phone policies negatively affected their happiness fell from 48% to 27%, while the share reporting no impact on their well-being and school experiences increased from 56% to 63%. The findings suggest that students may be adjusting to phone-free school environments, although consistent enforcement remains a challenge.

In Your Community

From Mentoring to Opportunity: Building Skills, Relationships and Resilience

Health and well-being are shaped by more than just access to healthcare for children and youth. Strong relationships, emotional skills, educational opportunities, supportive families and connections to supportive adults can all help children and youth navigate challenges and build healthier futures.

Men 2 Be, an organization based in Hopkinsville, is bringing these pieces together through its year-round Tools in the Toolbox program. The program provides trauma-informed mentoring and development opportunities for Black boys and young men ages 7 to 18. The organization has grown from supporting three youth in 2020 to more than 60 now, with more than 20 mentors and volunteers.

Tools in the Toolbox combines mentoring, academic enrichment, life-skills development, vocational experiences, out-of-school programming, and substance-use prevention. The program is designed to help young people develop emotional regulation, confidence, healthy coping strategies, decision-making skills, and positive relationships with peers and mentors.

Men 2 Be continues to partner with the local school district, providing valuable access to connect with young men and families who can benefit from their programs and services. As the needs of the young men they serve have grown, so has the organization. Men 2 Be has expanded from a three-day-a-week program to operating five days a week, allowing them to provide more consistent support and opportunities.

Additionally, the organization is increasingly engaging the whole family through activities such as community events, fatherhood programming, college exposure, family outreach and outdoor experiences.

By combining mentoring, skill-building, family connection and opportunities to participate in their community, Men 2 Be is creating supportive pathways for young people to grow, develop resilience and prepare for their future.

Take Action!

Medicaid Changes Put Immigrant Children at Risk

Starting October 1, 2026, new federal rules will restrict Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility for many lawfully present immigrants. Overall, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that Medicaid and CHIP restrictions will result in about 100,000 additional people becoming uninsured by 2034.

A KFF brief, Implementation of Medicaid Immigrant Eligibility Restrictions Under the 2025 Reconciliation Law: Issues to Consider , reports that lawfully residing immigrant children can continue to qualify for Medicaid and CHIP in states that have adopted the option to cover them. Children who remain eligible may also experience disruptions if families have difficulty understanding new requirements or providing documentation.

Kentucky Voices for Health (KVH) has developed a summary of the changes and steps families can take: Understanding the Impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”: Immigrant Families & Healthcare.

Share the KVH document with families, communities and organizations in your network. As the KFF brief emphasizes, clear, multilingual information and assistance from trusted community organizations will be important to help eligible children and families maintain coverage.