FRANKFORT, Ky. — On Thursday during his weekly Team Kentucky update, Gov. Andy Beshear announced more than 500 new jobs are coming to Kentucky, just days after Ford Motor Company’s and SK Innovation’s transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs and places Kentucky at the forefront of the automotive industry’s future.
“This week, we set out to build what we believe will be the largest electric vehicle battery plants in the country, right off I-65 in Hardin County. The project not only sets the bar globally for battery production, it also breaks nearly all of our previous economic development records in Kentucky,” said Beshear. “This is the single largest capital investment and the largest jobs announcement in our state’s history. And this was only the first jobs announcement of the week. All eyes are on Kentucky, and we’re just getting started.”
Beshear congratulated Community Wellness Technology Inc., a provider of remote patient monitoring and clinical health coaching services for the health care industry, on the company’s $15 million investment to establish a new facility in Boyle County, a project that will create 445 well-paying jobs across the coming years. To learn more, see the full release.
Beshear also announced Harbor Steel & Supply Corp., a distributor and manufacturer of fabricated products for the steel and aluminum industries, will construct a second Kentucky facility with an $8 million investment that will create 25 full-time jobs in the years ahead. To learn more, see the full release.
Beshear said Shelby County was awarded an $850,500 Community Development Block Grant to construct a gravity sewer system that will serve Wieland North America Inc., the nation’s leading manufacturer and converter of copper and copper-alloy sheets, strips, foil, tube and fabricated components, creating 43 new jobs. To learn more, see the full release.
Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Update
Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said the allocation of monoclonal antibody treatment courses from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Kentucky this week was 6,114 courses – down 802 courses from the previous week. The week ending Sept. 28, Kentucky utilized 4,074 mAb treatment courses and had 9,671 courses on hand.
HHS allocates mAbs to states on Monday afternoons based on prior week case rate, hospitalizations and mAbs utilization. Kentucky mAb administration sites submit requests to KDPH, which then enters orders for direct shipment from the federal distributor to the sites.
Dr. Stack said Kentuckians can visit kycovid19.ky.gov to find a mAb administration site in their area.
“Please remember the supplies are limited. There’s not enough for the entire nation, and that’s why there’s this new allocation system,” said Dr. Stack. “So when you contact a site, they’re going to use current Food and Drug Administration criteria for who are the highest risk and the most in need, and they’re going to use that coupled with their supply to determine prioritization and who can get the treatment at that time. Obviously, the hope is the disease will go down, we’ll need less of this and everyone who needs it will have access.”
COVID-19 Update
Beshear said his administration will continue to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations through media outreach; community partnerships, including with colleges and universities; and through the trusted voices of Kentuckians who are known and respected in their communities and beyond. The awareness campaign will also include Kentuckians who have lost someone to COVID-19 and who wish their loved ones would have gotten vaccinated before it was too late.
“Heading into fall and winter, we will focus more closely on the folks who haven’t yet gotten a vaccine. The media campaign will emphasize the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and it will encourage Kentuckians to talk with a health care provider about taking this shot of hope,” said Beshear.
The Governor said public service media campaign efforts over the next few months will focus on symptoms and effects of the virus; the growing representation in our hospitals for Kentuckians who are 40 and younger; the cost of being hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, even if you have health coverage, including loss of income while unable to work; long-term side effects; and awareness that all Kentuckians need to get both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (or one Johnson & Johnson dose) and some Kentuckians may need a booster or third shot if they meet certain criteria.
From March 1 to Sept. 29, 2021, 86.2% of COVID-19 cases, 92.4% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 84.5% of COVID-19 deaths have been among partially vaccinated or unvaccinated Kentuckians.
Gov. Beshear said due to more Kentuckians getting vaccinated over the summer and wearing masks indoors, the commonwealth is now seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and ventilator uses.
“This is now enough of a trend to say we are in a decline, and we hope it continues,” said Beshear. “But again, it’s not OK to get COVID, because you might not die. This virus can have long-term implications on your health.”
Permanent Mail-In Renewal Program for Expiring Licenses, State IDs to Launch Friday
Beshear today announced the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will launch a service Friday to expand options for Kentuckians to renew their state driver’s licenses and ID cards remotely through a mail-in renewal program. To learn more, see the full release.
Baptist Health Breckenridge Groundbreaking
This week, Baptist Health broke ground on a major outpatient medical center known as Baptist Health Breckenridge. When complete, the facility will serve as a patient-centered, one-stop-shop for primary care and more, with 144 treatment spaces for more than 50 providers, including some brand new services for Kentuckians. It will include physician practices, an ambulatory surgery center, urgent care, physical and occupational therapy, imaging, laboratory services and a retail pharmacy.
“Health care is a human right. Breaking ground for this new facility is an important milestone both for Baptist Health and for all of the families it will serve from Louisville and the surrounding region,” said Beshear. “When we invest in greater health care access, we are investing in our future and building a better Kentucky.”