Kentucky continues to have a child abuse rate higher than the national average. Today, Norton Children’s, Home of the Innocents, state officials and the community opened the new Norton Children’s Center for Safe and Healthy Kids. Located on the Home of the Innocents campus in Louisville, the center will serve thousands of patients from across…
The Child Maltreatment 2022 report, released this year by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Children’s Bureau, found Kentucky’s rate of child abuse victims in Kentucky was 12.3 per 1,000 children. That means about a dozen kids out of every 1,000 children in Kentucky experienced some form of maltreatment during 2022. Indiana’s rate…
It’s a phone call pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Deborah J. Kozik, D.O., has received more than 100 times. One of her patients has been waiting months for a new heart. On this morning, a donor heart in another state has become available. There’s little time to waste. Dr. Kozik and the team are on a plane…
Children and adolescents with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes may no longer need injections of insulin if a new inhaled form of insulin is found to be safe and effective. “Some kids — especially kids who have been diagnosed recently — can have a difficult time getting used to injections. This formulation is a…
When Jessica and Jarrod Hogue left Norton Hospital without their newborn, they had no idea what to make of the following days, let alone years. On March 12, 2021, the Hogues welcomed their baby, Hudson, into the world nine weeks early due to a very complex congenital heart defect. As a chronic planner, Jessica had…
When Lindsay Brock was born, the world welcomed a fighter. Lindsay entered this world six weeks earlier than expected. Her early days were marked by medical complications that landed her in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at two Norton Healthcare hospitals. She would spend over a month fighting for her life, being cared for…
Surrounded by nurses and staff, Alaina Kenney proudly rang the “end of treatment bell” at Norton Children’s Hospital. The celebration in early August marked the end of the 13-year-old’s chemotherapy treatments, nearly four years after being diagnosed neuroblastoma, a type of cancer found most often in kids and infants. One day in September 2019, as…
Arguing with your child isn’t something that excites most parents, but that’s not the case for David Williams. David’s 7-year-old son, Oaks, is on the autism spectrum and nonverbal. Thanks to Norton Children’s Autism Center Oaks now has a specialized electronic tablet that has given him a voice for the first time. The tablet allows…
When Mary Vaughn thinks back to when she realized her son needed help, one moment stands out. When he was young, she took James to jump on bounce houses with friends. It was busy and loud. He quickly became overwhelmed and upset, but he couldn’t form words to explain why. “I knew the words were…
As an active young boy growing up in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Devan Riley experienced pains in his legs. He also endured recurring numbness on his left arm, which became more bothersome over the years. “As things progressed, we didn’t want to believe anything was wrong,” said Amy Wilson Harwood, Devan’s mom. “His previous doctors associated…
Dixie Robertson is like other kids you may know. She’s playful, funny, and full of personality. Dixie cares deeply for her family — which is now officially bigger after her longtime wish of being adopted by her stepfather, Thomas, has come true. She’s incredibly strong, in fact stronger than any 10-year-old, any child or any…
Being a facility dog requires patience, a calm demeanor and adaptability. These qualities are even more important for dogs supporting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD often experience anxiety, stress induced by new environments, difficulty with social engagement and a need for sensory support. The Norton Children’s Autism Center has state-of-the-art equipment…