Dr. Fran Feltner named statewide Community Health Champion
Congratulations to our UK CERH Director Dr. Fran Feltner! She was named the statewide Community Health Champion this week at the inaugural Community Health Champions Awards, sponsored by WellCare of Kentucky. The ceremony was held virtually on Oct. 28 to recognize honorees across the commonwealth.
“Dr. Feltner represents exactly the type of service, commitment, and passion that we want to support in Kentucky,” said Ben Orris, chief operating officer for WellCare of Kentucky. “We know that people like Dr. Feltner help make Kentucky communities healthier.”
Feltner was one of nine grassroots Kentucky leaders chosen from more than 200 nominees to be honored for their volunteerism and service in public health. One winner was selected from each of the eight Kentucky regions, while Dr. Feltner, who works in Hazard, was named the overall statewide winner.
WellCare of Kentucky awarded a $3,000 grant to the organization that nominated each of the eight regional winners and a $5,000 grant to the Center for Excellence in Rural Health in Dr. Feltner’s name.
In Dr. Feltner’s nomination, she was described as someone who not only illuminates rural health challenges through research, but also advocates for rural health care in Washington D.C. and Frankfort, and works on a personal level to serve individual patients, oftentimes rolling up her sleeves to help clients in need.
“I see our Community Health Champions as examples of the best of Kentucky,” Orris said. “Each of these individuals have worked to ensure that Kentuckians are physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy – and they did it in deeply personal ways, giving their time, talent, and heart in the process.”
Congratulations also to the regional winners:
- Grace Stewart, Intervention Program Director for Lotus in Paducah.
- Jennifer Allen, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County, Inc.
- Amy Leenerts, Founder of Free2Hope, Inc. in Louisville.
- Trevor Tucker, a volunteer coach and mentor for Phoenix Wellness/Phoenix Racing in Somerset
- Wayne McNiel, a volunteer at Rapha Ministries Inc. in Winchester.
- Amy Cooley, Early Childhood Community Connector for Erlanger Elsmere Schools.
- Todd Young, Director of the Neighborhood in Ashland.
- Scott McReynolds, Executive Director of the Housing Development Alliance in Hazard
Winners also received an original piece of artwork created by Jennifer Robertson, an eastern Kentucky welder and artist. The award was a metal sculpture that depicts Kentucky with a rising mountain and sun behind it. The event can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/IFmI0950_60
