 August is hot and so are the savings at Appalachian Wireless, where all smartphones are 50% off. Even the 64, 128, and 256-gig models, two-year agreement required. Better service, bigger savings. That's today's Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Network Company. The Appalachian Regional Commission recently released a report, and our region is trailing behind the rest of the United States in many aspects. Health disparities in Appalachia includes the ARC's 13-state service area stretching from New York to Alabama. Appalachia fares worse than the rest of the country in 33 of the 41 indicators measured. This includes higher rates of 7 of the 10 leading causes of death, and in nearly all aspects, Central Appalachia fares even worse. Central Appalachia is 42% higher than the national average for heart disease mortality. Darker areas on the map show where the disease is at its worst. Cancer mortality is 32% higher in Central Appalachia than the national average. Death from COPD is 86% higher than the national average in Central Appalachia. Injury deaths are 106% higher in Central Appalachia than the national average. Overall, the number of years of life lost due to premature death is 25% higher in Appalachia than in the U.S. In Central Appalachia, that figure is 69% higher. The statistics give health professionals a roadmap of areas that need attention. This is a long-standing problem, and our medical school was founded 20 years ago with a mission of producing primary care physicians who are committed to serving in rural and underserved areas of Kentucky and Appalachia. Appalachia is seeing improvements in nearly all categories. However, those improvements have not kept pace with improvements in the rest of the country. So, while the region's health is improving, in many ways the gap is widening. On the other hand, Central Appalachia is actually seeing a 9% increase in the number of years lost due to premature death, leading the report to conclude that the region has experienced an overall decline in health over the past two decades. In Pikeville, Shelby Still, EKB News.