LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  The Basis for a Wholesome Kentucky has introduced its 2022 class of Wholesome Kentucky Champions. The awards acknowledge people devoted to enhancing the well being of Kentuckians at a group stage and/or state stage.

The Wholesome Kentucky Champions are:

Dr. Patricia Bautista-Cervera, La Casita Heart

Dr. Patricia Bautista-Cervera is a pediatrician and pediatric allergist with a Grasp of Public Well being. She joined La Casita Heart (LCC) in 2019, a company devoted to enhancing the well-being of Louisville’s Latinx and immigrant group. Because the Well being Empowerment Coordinator, Dr. Bautista-Cervera works to advertise well being by workshops, informational movies, one-on-one communications, and different varied means.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Bautista-Cervera delivered essential info to the Spanish-speaking group by the web video sequence: “Consejos de Salud con la Dra. Paty.” She additionally was instrumental for LCC to develop digital boards with shops and eating places to coach the Hispanic group concerning the virus and promote preventive measures and vaccination. Throughout 2020 alone, Dr. Bautista-Cervera supported 994 COVID-19 optimistic sufferers, providing medical steering and, by an empowering mannequin, connecting them to LCC’s wrap-around providers and different sources in the neighborhood.

Eric Crawford, Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana

Eric Crawford, a Maysville native, joined Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana in 2013. Crawford’s schooling within the endocannabinoid system and hashish, in addition to his expertise as a quadriplegic, has fueled his ardour for advocating for the legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky. Through the years, Crawford has been concerned in crafting such payments and has testified on the Kentucky Capitol about how hashish improves his high quality of life. He at the moment is a member of the Governor’s Medical Hashish Advisory Committee. Crawford is well-known on the Kentucky Capitol and has additionally traveled the state with Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana for greater than 50 medical hashish instructional seminars.

Crawford stays lively within the Maysville group by serving on the Lions Membership and volunteering at a nursing dwelling. He’s Finis Davis Fellowship recipient by the Kentucky Lions Eye Heart and a Kentucky Colonel. Crawford can also be a previous member of Kentucky Companions in Policymaking by the Commonwealth Council for Developmental Disabilities.

Terry Gehrke, Kentucky Diabetes Community

Terry Gehrke has been within the health/wellness trade for greater than 30 years. She based Balanced Wellness LLC in 1999 in Jefferson County and nonetheless leads the group as president and wellness marketing consultant/well being educator. Gehrke joined Kentucky Diabetes Community (KDN) in 2019 as government director and has guided the group to advertise higher well being for Kentuckians at-risk for and residing with diabetes. She leads KDN’s symposium committee annually to supply the biggest skilled schooling alternative for diabetes coaching within the state, the Kentucky Diabetes Symposium.

Gehrke’s background contains educating within the College of Louisville Well being and Sport Sciences Division and dealing with Southeast Christian Church’s Sports activities & Health Ministry. Gehrke can also be a member of a number of organizations together with the Nationwide Wellness Institute, Nationwide Bodily Exercise Society, and Train is Medication.

Denise Corridor, Trimble CARES Coalition

Denise Corridor, of Trimble County, Kentucky, started working within the substance use prevention discipline in 1998 at Seven Counties Companies. In 2003, she grew to become the coordinator for Trimble County Household Useful resource and Youth Companies Heart (FRYSC) earlier than writing two Drug-Free Communities Grants (DFC) and directing them. The DFC grant is now in its tenth and ultimate yr.

Corridor’s work contains implementing a Drug Schooling Sequence in Trimble County and a Sources of Energy (SOS) group on the Trimble County Junior/Senior Excessive Faculty. She administers a survey to center and excessive schoolers to know their substance misuse prevention wants. Corridor was essential in getting vape detectors put in at the highschool. Corridor can also be managing director of Trimble CARES Coalition.

Michelle Howell, Want Extra Acres Farm

Michelle Howell co-owns Want Extra Acres Farm in Scottsville together with her husband Nathan. She has an agriculture diploma from WKU and beforehand labored for the College of Kentucky Cooperative Extension aiding tobacco farmers as they transitioned to fruit and vegetable manufacturing. She collaborates with native and state companions to extend equitable alternatives for farmers. Howell has additionally been concerned in writing grants price greater than $2.4 million to profit meals entry, ladies’s life programs, and urban-rural improvement.

Want Extra Acres co-founded the Neighborhood Farmers Market (CFM) in Bowling Inexperienced, which piloted a number of Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP) incentives. CFM was important to rising Kentucky Double {Dollars} right into a statewide program and CFM is among the group’s pilots of the Recent Rx MOMs program for anticipating moms on Medicaid. Each packages assist under-resourced Kentuckians entry recent, wholesome meals from farmers’ markets. Moreover, Howell companions with the College of Kentucky, Western Kentucky College, and Kentucky State College for interactive skilled improvement on variety and inclusion.

Dr. Patrick Kitzman, UK Faculty of Well being Sciences

Dr. Patrick Kitzman is a professor within the College of Kentucky Division of Bodily Remedy. He’s additionally the founding director of Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Community (KARRN), a workforce that develops methods to scale back incapacity and enhance the standard of life for people with neurological impairments residing in underserved rural Appalachian counties.

Dr. Kitzman and his workforce established tasks CARAT and CARAT-TOP. CARAT (Coordinating and Helping the Reuse of Assistive Know-how) is a program the place college students study to refurbish used medical tools and donate it to these in want in the neighborhood. CARAT-TOP (Coordinating and Helping the Reuse of Assistive Know-how- Collectively One Precedence) is a coaching program created by a partnership with the College of Kentucky Heart of Excellence in Rural Well being and KARRN. It brings collectively group members and highschool college students of all talents to study new abilities to assist people and communities impacted by incapacity.

Mark Thomas, Todd County Faculty District

Mark Thomas, Todd County Faculties superintendent, was instrumental in establishing the “AXIS Program: Centering All Companies,” within the district. In partnership with the Todd County Well being Division, this system addresses college students’ social and emotional well-being by psychological well being case administration. This system additionally assists with primary wants resembling vitamin, clothes, toiletries, housing, transportation, and therapy for substance use dysfunction. Thomas performed a vital function in gaining the wanted buy-in of this system from employees and the group. Via his assist, this system is increasing providers to incorporate parenting courses, prenatal courses, and psychological well being consciousness packages for college kids and employees.

Thomas started his profession in Shelby County in 1996 as a center faculty trainer. He has served in various faculty and district administrative roles throughout Kentucky earlier than beginning his present place in 2020.

“These seven Wholesome Kentucky Champions are an inspiration to all working to raised the well being of our state,” mentioned Ben Chandler, president, and CEO, of Basis for a Wholesome Kentucky. “We owe them a lot gratitude for his or her dedication to addressing a few of the well being challenges Kentuckians face. The Commonwealth is healthier due to these Wholesome Kentucky Champions.”

Gil Friedell Memorial Well being Coverage Champion Award

As Wholesome Kentucky Champions, these seven people are eligible for the 2022 Gil Friedell Memorial Well being Coverage Champion Award. The Friedell Award comes with a $5,000 grant from the Basis for a Wholesome Kentucky to a Kentucky-based nonprofit of the winner’s alternative.

This yr’s Friedell Award winner might be introduced on the Howard L. Bost Memorial Well being Coverage Discussion board on October 17.

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