Upcoming & Past Meetings
Click on the Coalitions below to view upcoming meeting details, as well as summaries of past meetings. While the counties are divided into coalitions, all are welcome to attend any of the meetings.
The next KY1 Community Coalition will meet again in May 2026. Stay tuned for the agenda and calendar invite!
Counties in KY1: Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, and Trigg, but all are welcome to attend!
KY1 Community Coalition met virtually on Tuesday, February 24, at 8:00 AM CT. Claire Arant, Director, Community Outreach and External Communication for the Kentucky Hospital Association, presented on the community coalition framework for the years ahead. The mission of the coalitions is to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky. The coalitions will accomplish that goal by bringing together health care and community-based organizations together to discuss gaps in transitions of care, empowering community members to self-manage their chronic illnesses, address social drivers of health, and mental health and substance use disorders. Coalition members discussed current efforts and coalitions in the area that are working on various parts of the framework.
Myrna Vazquez, Program Assistant Senior, Nutrition Education Program/SNAP-ED for the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Calloway County Extension Office, shared information on the Family and Consumer Science programming focused on improving the quality of life for individuals and families. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service offers two programs, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed), to target limited resource families and individuals with nutrition education. Through these programs, the Calloway County Extension Office has been able to partner with the local Calloway County Health Department to offer educational cooking classes for individuals with diabetes and/or cancer diagnoses. In addition to these programs, the Extension Office offers an opportunity for families and children to learn to cook together though the “Cook Together, Eat Together” program, as well as a nutrition program for persons who are recovering from substance use disorders, “Healthy Choices for Your Recovering Body.”
William Brandon, Community Engagement Coordinator with Paducah Cooperative Ministry (PCM), shared information on their food pantry and shelter programs with the coalition. Community members in need of food assistance will find a low barrier to access with PCM. Regardless of meeting SNAP criteria, community members coming to PCM for food are served with dignity through PCM’s effort to offer choices in their food selection. In 2025, PCM served 4,782 sets of groceries to local families! In addition to the food pantry, PCM offers assistance with utility and rent payments and housing through Fresh Start Village. Fresh Start Village is a shelter offered to mothers and children, who have had their housing status change and are in need of temporary housing. Fresh Start Village served 157 individuals in 2025. PCM continues to meet the community needs by planning to offer a grocery store experience for folks at a location located across the street from their current headquarters.
KY2 Central Community Coalition met virtually on March 17, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET. The agenda included a presentation on the community coalition framework that will guide the coalition work in the coming years. In addition to this topic, the Community Farm Alliance presented on how to utilize SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets through the Double Dollars Program. To round out the meeting, Baptist Health Hardin and Feeding America co-presented on their collaboration and partnership to offer a food box program at Baptist Health Hardin.
Counties in KY2: Breckinridge, Bullitt, Grayson, Hardin, Jefferson, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Washington, but all are welcome to attend!
KY2 Central Community Coalition met virtually on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 1:00 pm ET. Catherine Hines, Research Project Manager at the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), educated the coalition on how to navigate and utilize FindHelpNow.Org. FindHelpNow.org is a website designed to assist community members looking for services around substance use, mental health, behavioral health, recovery housing, and community-based supports. The website searches for the services closest to the zip code of the person seeking services and showcases the services currently accepting new patients. Once a service is selected, the website shows what the application process looks like, what supports are provided by the service, which population is served, and how to get connected. The website can be utilized by case managers, family members, friends, or any member of a community who requires assistance for themselves; no referral needed!
Next on the agenda was highlighting local organizations that can be a resource to community members. Rebecca Stutsman, Director of Advancement with Seven Counties, kicked us off with discussing their holiday meals and community events that support families and children during the holidays. As a reminder, Seven Counties is a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) which provides mental health, addiction recovery, developmental disabilities, and other services to the community. Christa Shouse, Chief Executive Officer with United Way Central Kentucky, shared the ways her organization supports the community through providing funding support to community-based organizations and connecting community members with support services through 2-1-1. Residents located in Hardin, Breckenridge, Grayson, LaRue, and Meade counties can dial 2-1-1 to receive free, 24-hour information about community health and social services. 2-1-1 provides information on basic needs services, mental and physical health resources, counseling, employment assistance and more!
Melanie Landrum, KHA Senior Vice President, Data, Operations and Innovations, drew the coalition meeting to a conclusion by sharing the workforce recruitment resources KHA has developed to encourage high schoolers to consider a health care career upon graduating. To watch the video shared during the meeting, visit: https://www.kyha.com/workforce/put-me-in-coach-campaign/ and check out KHA’s workforce website to see all the ways KHA is engaging in health care workforce recruitment and retention.
KY3 Taylor/Lake Cumberland Community Coalition will meet in-person on April 28, from 11:00 – 12:30 PM CT, at TJ Health Columbia. For this meeting, KY3 is focused on mental health and substance use disorder resources! Caroline Hines, Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, to highlight the FindHelpNow.org website, to show how any Kentuckian can go on the website to find help for mental health, naloxone, substance use disorder, and recovery housing. Peer Support Specialist, Tabitha Hardin, will present the benefits of having a peer support specialist integrated into your organization to help patients with substance use disorders. A speaker has also been invited to present on 988’s Raising Hope program specifically for farmers. Stay tuned for more details!
Counties in KY3: Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne, but all are welcome to attend!
KY3 Taylor/Lake Cumberland Community Coalition met virtually on January 27, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET. Claire Arant, Director, Community Outreach and External Communication for the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA), presented the Community Coalition Framework and the priorities for the years ahead. The mission of the coalitions is to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky by bringing together health care and community-based organizations to discuss gaps in transitions of care, empowering community members to self-manage their chronic illnesses, and address social drivers of health, and mental health and substance use disorders. The coalition expressed support for the framework.
Bryon Ellis, KHA’s Associate Vice President of Government Relations, shared with the coalition a brief summary of bills proposed during the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly that could impact the health care landscape in Kentucky. Some of these bills relate to topics such as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE), Certificate of Need, and Medicaid. For more information on important legislative happenings, please reach out to Mr. Ellis at bellis@kyha.com.
Jillian Shaw, Program Coordinator for kynect Resources, presented an overview of kynect resources to the coalition. Kynect Resources, in partnership with United Way, was developed with the primary mission of bringing together community partners and commonwealth agencies into a comprehensive, single platform that connects Kentuckians to needed services. Kynect Resources is a free, online, statewide director available to those living in Kentucky and assists with a referral management system to ensure close loop referrals for residents and organizations. To access the website and see the services offered, please visit https://www.kynect.ky.gov/resources/
Melanie Landrum, KHA’s Senior Vice President of Data, Operations, and Innovations, presented the KHA workforce recruitment videos. The custom media offering is especially geared toward middle and high school students to encourage them to consider health care as a career choice when they are finished with high school. This video has been shared on social media and has already received several thousand views. Please feel free to share with your colleagues and friends.
Put Me In Coach Campaign – KYHA
Additionally, KHA has worked to build promotional videos and career pathways for Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Laboratory Scientist and Respiratory Therapists to encourage students to consider a career in allied health professions. Links to those resources are provided below.
Medical Laboratory Technician and Medical Laboratory Scientist Website
The next KY4 Bluegrass Community Coalition will be on June 3. If you are interested in hosting a coalition meeting or sponsoring breakfast, please reach out to Claire. More details to come!
Counties in KY4: Anderson, Boyle, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Rockcastle, Scott, and Woodford, but all are welcome to attend!
KY4 Bluegrass Community Coalition met on Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00 AM ET at Morning Pointe of Lexington. A special thank you to CHI Saint Joseph Health Partners for breakfast and Morning Pointe of Lexington for hosting our meeting!
Claire Arant, Director, Community Outreach and External Communication for the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA), presented the community coalition framework for the years ahead. The mission of the coalitions is to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky. The coalitions will accomplish that goal by bringing together health care and community-based organizations together to discuss gaps in transitions of care, empowering community members to self-manage their chronic illnesses, address social drivers of health, and mental health and substance use disorders.
Morgan Bray, Food is Medicine Program Coordinator, shared on the joint endeavor between KHA and Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) to join forces to develop a Food is Medicine Initiative focusing on the power of food and its connection to healthier living. Through the Food is Medicine Initiative, several hospitals have partnered with their local cooperative extension offices to host farmers markers on site giving access to local, healthy food for patients, staff, and the community. These partnerships have brought together hospitals, growers, leaders in agriculture, and food purchasing/ services companies to begin efforts of using local, healthier food products on site and have developed creative ideas such as a hospital-branded burger made from lean Kentucky raised ground beef. To learn more or get involved with the Food is Medicine Initiative, visit https://foodismedicineky.com, or contact Morgan Bray.
Lauren Kallmeyer, Kentucky Double Dollars Director, and Margie Stelzer, Kentucky Double Dollars Administrator, with the Community Farm Alliance (CFA) shared their Kentucky Double Dollars (KDD) program with the coalition. The CFA was established in 1985 to preserve family farms during the farm credit crisis. CFA works to develop local food systems by supporting markets, farmers, food access, policy, and the KDD program. KDD supports farmers while addressing food insecurity, providing additional funds for SNAP and Farmers Market Nutrition Program recipients to purchase locally grown fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy. KDD works by exchanging SNAP dollars for tokens, the token doubles the value of benefits ($1 benefits = $2 value) and allows the tokens to be spent at participating farmers markets. In 2025, KDD had an impact of $278,000 double dollars redeemed. To learn more about CFA and KDD, visit kentuckydoubledollars.org.
Jennifer Cherolis, Outpatient Diabetes Educator, and Courtney Rogers, Outpatient Diabetes Educator Apprentice, with UK Healthcare, Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center presented their diabetes education services available across the enterprise. UK Healthcare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Centers offers a number of educational programs to help support individuals with self-managing their diabetes, diabetes prevention programs, Medical Nutrition Therapy, and a weight management program. You do not have to be a current patient of UK Healthcare Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center to participate in any of these programs. If you are interested in engaging with these programs, call (859) 323-7391, or email, diabeteseducationservices@uky.edu.
The next KY5 Fleming/Mason Community Coalition will be in July 2026. Stay tuned for details!
Counties in KY5: Counties: Bath, Bourbon, Boyd, Bracken, Carter, Clark, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Powell, Robertson, Rowan, and Wolfe, but all are welcome to attend!
KY5 Fleming/Mason Community Coalition met virtually on January 30, 2026 from 11:30 – 1:00 pm ET. Claire Arant, Director, Community Outreach and External Communication for the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA), led a discussion in which consensus was achieved regarding the Community Coalition Framework and the priorities for the years ahead. The mission of the coalitions is to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky by bringing together health care and community-based organizations to discuss gaps in transitions of care, empowering community members to self-manage their chronic illnesses, and address social drivers of health, and mental health and substance use disorders.
Next, three local organizations shared their resources offered to the community.
Ion Center, offers free, confidential support and services to victim-survivors who have experienced power-based personal violence. These services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, hospital advocacy, crisis support, law enforcement advocacy, safety planning, court advocacy, therapy, prevention education and pet protection. These services are available to anyone and any gender. Check out their website for more information, https://ioncenter.org/
Shepherd’s House, a faith-based organization which offers services to the community, including a food bank every 3rd Tuesday of the month, clothing bank every Tuesday, and furniture ministry based upon request. If you are interested in donating or need assistance, please call 606.301.1921.
Comprehend Inc. offers a wide array of resources and services to the community. These services include mental health, substance use disorder treatment, and intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) services. One of the programs highlighted was Bridgeway for IDD. Bridgeway serves adults with IDD in and around Maysville, KY, with the goal to provide care, education and employment opportunities so that clients can live empowered and fulfilling lives. In addition to that service, Bridgeway also, offers help with respite care and support for families and caregivers.
Corey Richard, Community Consultant – Central Kentucky, Kentucky Department for Public Health, presented the Kentucky Prescription Assistance Program (KPAP). KPAP helps qualifying individuals identify sources of free and low-cost medications offered by pharmaceutical companies. Staff members collaborate with medical personnel and community agencies such as churches, hospitals, and social services to provide information about KPAP. KPAP has saved Kentuckians $1 Billion since the program’s inception in 2008. If you are interested in becoming a KPAP partner, please visit the Cabinet for Health and Family Services website.
KY6&8 Eastern Kentucky Community Coalition will meet on April 22, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET via Teams. The coalition meeting will kick off with UnitedHealthcare presenting on their member value benefits to close out the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations presentation from last meeting. Next up, Floyd County Health Department will discuss their screening locations, types and frequency within the community. Other health departments have been invited to share their information as well. Last, but certainly not least, Ashley Webb, System Diabetes Education Coordinator for ARH, is presenting on their diabetes education program that is open to the community.
Counties in KY6&8: Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, and Whitley, but all are welcome to attend!
KY6&8 Eastern Kentucky Community Coalition met Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET via Teams. Claire Arant, Director, Community Outreach and External Communication for the Kentucky Hospital Association, presented on the community coalition framework for the years ahead. The mission of the coalitions is to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky and how the coalitions will do that is by bringing together health care and community-based organizations together to discuss gaps in transitions of care, empowering community members to self-manage their chronic illnesses, address social drivers of health, and mental health and substance use disorders. The coalition rallied around the shared ideas being exactly what the community needs.
Up next, Managed Care Organizations (MCO), Aetna, Molina by Passport Healthcare, and Wellcare, shared their member value benefits that Medicaid members have access to. The benefits span from assistance with food and wellness to gift cards for going for annual health care services. For a full list of the MCO’s benefits, please reach out to Claire Arant, carant@kyha.com, for their presentation.
The next KY7 Northern Kentucky Community Coalition meeting will be held in person on Thursday, June 4, at the St. Elizabeth Technology Education Center. Stay tuned for the calendar invite and agenda!
Counties in KY7: Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Henry, Kenton, Owen, Pendleton, and Trimble, but all are welcome to attend!
KY7 Northern Kentucky Community Coalition met virtually on Thursday, March 5, at 9:00 AM ET. Claire Arant, Director, Community Outreach and External Communication for the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA), presented on the community coalition framework for the years ahead. The mission of the coalitions is to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky. The coalitions will accomplish that goal by bringing together health care and community-based organizations together to discuss gaps in transitions of care, empowering community members to self-manage their chronic illnesses, address social drivers of health, and mental health and substance use disorders.
Jerrod Wright, Director, Hospital Preparedness for KHA, presented on emergency preparedness within a community. Within Jerrod’s thorough presentation, coalition members were given actionable information on what to consider before an emergency, where to start when developing a plan, who all to involve in the plan’s creation, and who can help during a disaster. In addition to the wonderful resources of local and state folks that can assist with preparing for an emergency as a community, the presentation included a week-by-week plan to building an emergency kit at your home or organization. If you are interested in Jerrod’s presentation slides, please reach out to Claire for a copy of the PowerPoint.
Interested in learning more and getting involved?
KHA is collaborating with hospitals, health care providers, and community-based organizations to build stronger, healthier communities across Kentucky. In a shared effort to share resources on discuss how to improve transitions of care, chronic disease self-management, social drivers of health, health literacy, mental health and substance use disorder concerns within the community.
Community Coalition partners include but are not limited to area agencies on aging, area development districts, clinician practices, community mental health centers, community organizations active in disasters, EMS providers, faith-based organizations, fire departments, food pantries, federally qualified health clinics, health departments, home health, hospice agencies, hospitals, housing shelters, libraries, nursing homes, patients/families, patient advocacy organizations, pharmacies, research institutions and universities, rural clinics, senior housing, state and local agencies, substance use recovery organizations. If you or your organization make an impact on a community member’s life, we want to invite you to the coalition meetings.
Have questions? Want more information? Reach out to Claire Arant, carant@kyha.com.