Carroll Comes Back to Stump for Democratic Candidates

McCracken County native and former governor Julian Carroll came down from his home in Frankfort (“you gotta live where the grandchildren are”) to greet old friends and preach the message that “you can be a Christian and be a Democrat”. He told the crowded auditorium of Democratic supporters that he decided to run for the Kentucky Senate when a friend told him that a minister in West Kentucky was telling his congregation that they could not vote Democratic and be Christian. His shout of “Well, here’s a Christian and a Democrat” brought a roar from the crowd.

Carroll told the crowd that the “Let’s Work Together” rally held in Frankfort was the largest he had ever seen in Franklin County. Looking around, he allowed that this was the biggest crowd he’d ever seen in this building. In his introduction of Dr. Dan Mongiardo, Carroll described the E-Health pilot program that Mongiardo started in four Eastern Kentucky counties. The problem of medications prescribed by different doctors that interact badly is addressed by a database with all the patient’s meds listed. The database can be accessed by any treating physician anywhere. Carroll said that Mongiardo had finally convinced the Governor to expand the program and it is “the first in the US&rdquo

Carroll said the importance of Mongiardo’s program is that the state of Kentucky insures one million people. That, according to Carroll, is one quarter of the state population. The state spends seven billion dollars on health care. Better health care saves taxpayer money.

Carroll is back in the Kentucky Senate, back in the middle of politics. It’s right where he wants to be. Carroll, the old warhorse, is nowhere near ready to be put out to pasture!

Photo above: Two McCracken County natives, Julian Carroll and Jennifer Moore, share a joke at the end of the "Let's Get Together" Rally in Paducah. Both attorneys live in Central Kentucky.

Update: In a press release on Tuesday - Governor Fletcher and his campaign disagreed with Carroll’s recollection of how E-Health came about.  The Fletcher campaign on Wednesday announced $17 million dollars for the program. “Converting to a paperless, e-Health system was one of the original goals of my approach to reforming health care in Kentucky, and we are very close to making it a reality,” said Governor Ernie Fletcher.