A new support group in Henderson is aimed at helping people who have lost a loved one to suicide.

The group’s founder, Cindy Weaver, said it’s called Infinite Hope because people who take their own lives have lost hope. 

Weaver said she’s met many survivors who haven’t sought help for the trauma and grief that followed the death of their friend or family member. 

“We want to be able, through our support groups and walking alongside the survivors to know they don’t have to go through this alone, help to restore hope back into their lives again, so they can move into a life that feels purposeful and has meaning in it once again,” said Weaver.

One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is getting vaccinations to people who are homebound.

A Bowling Green-based pharmacy is one of the health care providers that’s taken some of those life-saving “shots of hope” to the elderly and disabled who can’t get to vaccination clinics. 

As soon as Sheldon’s Express Pharmacy got the COVID-19 vaccine, the decision was made to offer vaccinations to homebound patients who were already getting medications delivered. 

Pharmacist Jack Downing said the owner of the pharmacy decided it was important to reach patients who are unable to get to a vaccination site

“This is just mainly a service to the community and to our patients,” Downing said. “That was the first thing that Steve Sheldon said, was we need to take care of the ones that we need to take care of, that are truly homebound, and offer it to them if they want it, and we’ll go to the house and do it.”

A newly released poll suggests Kentucky has a good chance of reaching herd immunity with the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Herd immunity is achieved when a significant amount of the population is vaccinated or immune to infection. Experts believe herd immunity will be possible when that applies to 70-85% of the population. 

The poll found 71% of Kentucky adults have already received or intend to get the vaccine. The 29% of Kentuckians who said they hesitant to get the shot were more likely to be male, Republican, and live in suburban or rural communities.

Ben Chandler heads the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which funded the survey. He says much of the hesitancy toward the vaccine can be attributed to misinformation.

Election reform efforts to expand ballot access made little headway around the Ohio Valley, as only one state in the region made voting easier, according to a voting rights expert. 

Several state governments around the nation are making major changes to voting laws following the 2020 presidential election.  

Kentucky is the only state in the Ohio Valley that passed significant voting changes. Lawmakers in the state passed a bipartisan election reform bill, House Bill 574, that made a few pandemic-era voting changes permanent, with some adjustments.

Henderson Community College is increasing support for students facing personal challenges that might have been intensified by the emotional and physical stress of the year-long COVID-19 pandemic.

The college has opened a new one-stop center offering support for issues that could prevent academic success. 

The HCC Care Center may be small in size, but it offers students connections to a big range of community services.

Career Services Coordinator Angie Watson said the HCC Care Center can help with a wide range of  issues.

“Substance disorders, domestic violence, housing issues, mental and physical issues that they may be facing," said Watson. "We’ve got some great mental health facilities that can assist them and offer crisis counseling.”