Celebrating 10 Kentuckians Making a Difference in Health Across Kentucky
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky announces its 2026 Healthy Kentucky Champions. The award recognizes individuals for their dedication to improving the health and well-being of their communities and/or the state. Ten Kentuckians received the award this year. The awardees are chosen each year by a committee made up of the Foundation’s Community Advisory Council members.
The 2026 Healthy Kentucky Champions are:
Casey Baker-Romans, Northern Kentucky Health Department (Florence)
Casey Baker-Romans is a Substance Use Prevention Health Educator with the Northern Kentucky Health Department who is working to address youth nicotine and THC use across Northern Kentucky. She designed a vape disposal program that has expanded to more than two dozen schools, preventing nearly 6.7 million puffs of nicotine and THC exposure and safely removing 75.5 pounds of hazardous vape products. The innovative program serves as a national model for statewide adoption. Baker-Romans also assists with the development and enforcement of smoke-free policies across four Kentucky counties, and works with communities, treatment centers and other partners to expand cessation resources.
Lorie Brown, Purchase District Health Department (Paducah)
Lorie Brown is the District WIC Coordinator for the Purchase District, where she works to improve the health of pregnant and postpartum women, infants and families across five counties in Western Kentucky. She helped secure funding for a WIC mobile unit that brings services directly to public housing communities, a domestic violence shelter and community events throughout the region, helping reduce barriers to accessing nutritional support. When state funding for a local WIC farmers market voucher program was cut, Brown helped create a new neighborhood farmers market that connects families with fresh fruits and vegetables and accepts WIC, SNAP/EBT and other resources. Through her work, Brown demonstrates a commitment to making healthy food and nutrition resources more accessible to families in her community.
Dr. Abeni El-Amin, Project Ricochet (Lexington)
Dr. Abeni El-Amin is President of Project Ricochet, where she leads community-centered health equity, prevention, behavioral health and family wellness initiatives reaching more than 30,000 Kentuckians. This includes leading Project Ricochet’s African American Barbershop and Beauty Salon Initiative, which partners with trusted barbershops, beauty salons and barbering institutions in Fayette County to connect residents with health education, screenings, prevention resources and community services. She also leads youth substance use prevention efforts, youth and family healing programs, maternal wellness initiatives and programs addressing nutrition and access to healthy foods. Dr. El-Amin has helped build an interconnected community prevention and health infrastructure that reaches from individual neighborhoods to communities across Kentucky.
Lynn Hulsey, Family Enrichment Center (Bowling Green)
Lynn Hulsey has devoted her career to improving the health and well-being of children, families and vulnerable Kentuckians. During her 20 years with the Family Enrichment Center, Husley’s efforts have helped expand the organization’s programs and resources, increasing its capacity to serve children and families through prevention, education, support and crisis services. Earlier in her career with the Warren County Health Department, Husley helped establish a community health team that brought partners together to analyze local health trends, develop initiatives and secure funding to address critical needs. She also worked directly with people living with HIV, helping them access housing, health care, medications, nutrition assistance and other essential resources.
Dr. Megan Moore, KVC Behavioral HealthCare Kentucky (Lexington)
Dr. Megan Moore is Senior Director of Innovation and Impact at KVC Behavioral HealthCare Kentucky, where she works to improve behavioral health outcomes and strengthen families across the Commonwealth. Through her leadership, KVC Kentucky has expanded access to trauma-informed behavioral health services, family preservation programs, substance use treatment and community-based supports for children and families facing significant barriers to care. In fiscal year 2025, KVC Kentucky served more than 17,700 Kentuckians across more than 80 counties, including over 9,000 children who received family strengthening services designed to prevent foster care placement. Beyond her leadership role, Dr. Moore dedicates significant personal time to community events, speaking engagements, fundraising and advocacy focused on children’s mental health and the needs of Kentucky families.
Dr. Suzanne Pica, Rapha Ministries (Winchester)
For two decades, Dr. Suzanne Pica has dedicated her time, expertise, and compassion to providing free medical care to uninsured Kentuckians through Rapha Ministries in Winchester. A physician specializing in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Pica continues to give generously of her personal time as both a physician and the clinic’s medical director. In this role, she helps ensure that individuals who might otherwise have limited or no access to health care receive the medical treatment, guidance, and support they need. Beyond providing direct medical care, Dr. Pica works to connect community members with donated medical supplies, further extending the clinic’s ability to meet the needs of those it serves.
Olivia Raley, Residential Adolescent Therapist (Louisville)
Olivia Raley works to improve behavioral health, housing stability and community safety for vulnerable Kentuckians. During her time as a police social worker with the Bardstown Police Department, she developed a model that integrated behavioral health and crisis intervention into law enforcement response, while connecting more than 400 people experiencing homelessness, substance use and other crises with housing, treatment and other resources. Today, Raley provides therapy to youth who have experienced severe trauma and is part of the community impact council that developed the Nelson County Yellow Tulip Project, a youth-led mental health initiative working to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health resources in rural communities.
Triton Smith, Wayspring (Lexington)
Triton Smith is an Engagement Specialist with Wayspring where he works with Kentuckians experiencing substance use disorder and severe mental illness, helping them overcome the practical barriers that can stand in the way of recovery. He connects members with essential resources such as stable housing, transportation, food, and clothing. Smith often meets members at some of the most difficult points in their lives, including in behavioral health facilities or while they are experiencing homelessness, and builds trust through a compassionate, judgment-free approach. One story that demonstrates his passion for the work is when Smith stayed connected with a member during her six-month hospitalization and helped recover her belongings when they were at risk of being lost due to an impounded car.
Corenza Townsend, Norton Healthcare (Louisville)
Corenza Townsend is a healthcare leader whose vision and advocacy helped transform access to care for residents of West Louisville. Years before Norton West Louisville Hospital opened in 2024, Townsend advocated for bringing a hospital to a community that had not seen one in more than 150 years. She remained involved throughout its development, listening to community members, building trust, helping shape services and ensuring the hospital reflected the needs of the people it serves. The hospital has already helped connect patients with primary care, pharmacy, food access and other resources, addressing barriers that have historically contributed to health disparities in the West End.
Kamari Wooten, Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center (Louisville)
Kamari Wooten is the Chief Growth Officer for Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center where he is dedicated to improving health outcomes and strengthening community connection in West Louisville. For the last five years, he has led the Black Men’s Wellness Day an event to which he has devoted significant personal time outside of his professional roles. The Black Men’s Wellness Day works to address health disparities by providing free health screenings, health education, fitness activities and mental wellness resources. The initiative has provided more than 1,800 free screenings for conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and kidney disease, while connecting participants with follow-up care and other resources.
Gil Friedell Memorial Health Policy Champion Award
Each year, the Gil Friedell Memorial Health Policy Champion Award is given to one of the Healthy Kentucky Champions. The Friedell Award is named after Dr. Gil Friedell, a passionate advocate for access to health care, the first director of the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky, and cofounder of the Kentucky Cancer Registry. The Friedell Award comes with a $5,000 grant from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to a Kentucky based nonprofit of the winner’s choice. The 2026 Gil Friedell Award winner will be announced later this year.