Kentucky’s genetic counselors could be licensed under senate legislation now before house members.
University of Louisville genetic counselor Kathryn Platky Warren said wait times to see a counselor range from several months up to a year. She believes licensing would increase access by attracting more genetic counselors to Kentucky.
Such testing, she said, can “help to diagnose anything from potential cancers to neurologic disorders to diagnosis that might affect children or pregnancies and help point out ways that a person could manage those issues.”
Norton Cancer Institute Geneticist Kara Goodwin said there is increasing interest in genetic testing, particularly with familial cancer cases.
“Our goal is to be non-directive. We seek to inform patients about what testing could or could not mean for them,” she said. “In addition, testing is not necessarily appropriate for every patient that we do see.”