(WKYT) – The Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children heard a presentation from the Kentucky Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Panel on Monday.
The panel examined 72 deaths and 176 near deaths from 2025.
Overall, there has been a 104 % increase in overdose ingestion cases in Kentucky over the past five years.
Cannabinoids, fentanyl and methamphetamine are the top three substances children have been ingesting in Kentucky, with fentanyl causing the most deaths.
The panel also reviewed 55 cases of physical abuse, which was a 31 % increase from the previous year, and 43 cases involving medically fragile children; neglect was the most common cause for that.
To decrease the number of child deaths in 2026, the panel made 21 recommendations.
Some of them include:
- Requiring certain products to be sold in child-resistant packaging;
- Aggressive public health campaigns;
- More abuse and neglect training for medical providers and law enforcement;
- Developing a statewide monitoring system for medically complex children.
The committee will meet again on August 19.