Ten Kentuckians recognized for their dedication to addressing unmet health needs across the state
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky announces its 2025 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. They are chosen by a committee made up of the Foundation’s Community Advisory Council members.
The 2025 Healthy Kentucky Champions are:
Dr. Brett Bechtel, Mercy Health (Paducah)
Dr. Brett Bechtel served as Chief Clinical Officer for Mercy Health’s Kentucky Region for more than three years during which he led major improvements that expanded access to care across western Kentucky. He spearheaded the launch of pediatric telehealth psychiatric services in the emergency department, reducing wait times for young people in crisis and helping hundreds of kids annually. He also championed the creation of a neonatology program at Lourdes Hospital. During his time as CCO, all Mercy Health Kentucky hospitals adopted universal screenings for social determinants of health. He is Medical Director of Mercy Regional EMS (McCracken County) and also volunteers his time to serve as Medical Director of Carlisle County EMS. In May 2025, he felt called to return to clinical practice and stepped down from his position as CCO to return to emergency medicine in the Lourdes Hospital Emergency Department in Paducah.
Jim Bennett, Centro de San Juan Diego (Lexington)
Jim Bennett and his wife Dot have dedicated their golden years to creating Centro de San Juan Diego in Lexington, a hub of health, education, and social services for immigrants and refugees. Jim is a business/industry loss prevention consultant by profession, and Dot is a retired social service worker and ESL teacher. Their work at the Centro was born out of their deep compassion and commitment to serving others. Since founding the nonprofit in 2020, the Bennetts have helped provide more than $1 million annually in free medical care, counseling, food distribution, and ESL classes to thousands of families who otherwise faced overwhelming barriers to care. By raising funds, recruiting volunteers, and building community partnerships, Jim and Dot ensured that central Kentucky’s immigrant residents (primarily Hispanics) have greater access to the resources and support they need to thrive.
Elaine Fields, Fresh Start Health Centers (Ashland)
As Director of Addiction Medicine at Fresh Start Health Centers, Elaine Fields has stepped in to fill major gaps in health care for rural Kentuckians living with substance use disorders and mental health needs. She has expanded services into some of the state’s most underserved regions, bringing medication-assisted treatment, counseling, and much more to people who previously had little or no access. Fields also championed telehealth options, flexible scheduling, and outreach programs that make care possible for patients facing transportation barriers, stigma, or financial hardship. She has built strong partnerships with local health departments, nonprofits, and law enforcement to expand resources through cross-sector approaches. Additionally, Fields volunteers during her personal time at public health events and community education sessions to reach even more Kentuckians in need.
Michelle Hernandez, HealthFirst Bluegrass (Lexington)
As a bilingual Certified Community Health Worker and Kynector at HealthFirst Bluegrass, Michelle Hernandez has transformed women’s health services for underserved patients in the Lexington area. When the clinic lacked a dedicated community health worker for women’s health, Hernandez built the program from the ground up - connecting more than 300 expectant mothers each year to temporary Medicaid coverage and securing hundreds of essential resources to support healthy pregnancies. She consistently goes above and beyond, whether working overtime to support her team or developing innovative approaches to patient care. Her leadership has filled a vital gap in care and earned the trust of patients who often face the many barriers to services. Hernandez also serves as an advisor and trainer with the Appalachian Kentucky Healthcare Access Network, serves on the Kentucky Maternal Morbidity & Mortality Task Force, and is an active member of various advocacy organizations.
Devan King, St. John Center (Louisville)
Devan King is transforming access to behavioral health care for Kentuckians experiencing homelessness. At the St. John Center in Louisville, she has strengthened trauma-informed therapy and case management supports while leading the agency into Medicaid billing for Behavioral Health Practitioner (BHP) services for the first time in its history. This shift not only sustains critical services for hundreds of clients but also creates a model other providers can replicate. King is advancing both service delivery and systems change to make therapy and case management more accessible, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of some of Kentucky’s most vulnerable residents.
Anthony Munger, Louisville Pride Foundation (Louisville)
Anthony Munger is a licensed social worker who has dedicated his career to improving health and well-being for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians through innovative programs. At the Louisville Pride Center, he coordinates monthly vaccination clinics and was instrumental in the launch of a food pantry that was designed to serve the LGBTQ+ community. His harm reduction efforts, including distributing naloxone and training bartenders in overdose response, have directly saved lives. Munger has trained more than a dozen LGBTQ+ performers as community health workers. He also is a policy advocate, provides free counseling, and works to preserve critical LGBTQ+ health data.
Jonathan Northcutt, Esperanza Latino Center (Alexandria)
Jonathan Northcutt of Alexandria, Kentucky is a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. He dedicates a significant amount of time to his volunteer work at Esperanza Latino Center of Northern Kentucky, where he leads the free health clinic in collaboration with St. Elizabeth Healthcare. These efforts focus on expanding access to care for uninsured or underinsured Hispanic and Latino residents, many of whom face barriers due to language or cost. Under his leadership, the clinic plays a critical role in bridging gaps in healthcare access by providing routine check-ups, chronic disease management, and medication access for patients.
Nancy Owens, Allen County Cooperative Extension Service (Scottsville)
Nancy Owens was a SNAP-Ed nutrition educator, and she went above and beyond her role to address food insecurity among low-income seniors in Allen County. Seeing a gap in access to healthy foods, she created the Senior Farmers Market Produce Box Program, delivering monthly boxes of fresh foods to older adults—many of whom are homebound. She also secured Farmers Market Vouchers so seniors could purchase fresh foods, injecting thousands of dollars into the local economy while supporting small farmers. Beyond meeting immediate needs, Owens has built partnerships with farmers, students, and community organizations to create a sustainable model that improves nutrition access, supports local agriculture, and strengthens community health. While her SNAP-Ed position has ended due to federal funding cuts, Owens continues to lead the senior food boxes program with support from the Allen County Scottsville Homemakers.
Dr. Nathan Vanderford, University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (Lexington)
Dr. Nathan Vanderford is a professor and researcher, working to address cancer disparities in Appalachian Kentucky. A first-generation college graduate from rural Appalachia himself, he understands the challenges facing students from the region. In 2016, he created the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program, which recruits students from across eastern Kentucky and prepares them for careers in cancer research, medicine, and public health. The program not only exposes students to cancer research and clinical experiences but also equips them to become advocates and change agents in their communities, where cancer rates are among the nation’s highest. Dr. Vanderford’s efforts address gaps in both cancer education and workforce development.
Kelsie Williams, All Access EKY (Louisville)
Kelsie Williams has been at the forefront of addressing Kentucky’s reproductive health needs for nearly a decade. The eastern Kentucky native serves as Project Director for All Access EKY. In this role, she developed an innovative contraceptive distribution system— initially created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to this day— which provides Kentucky residents with free birth control, pregnancy tests, and other essential supplies. Through collaboration with health departments, clinics, and community organizations, she strengthens partnerships to improve health outcomes for Kentuckians. Williams also works for a national organization, Power to Decide, where she supports reproductive well-being efforts across the country. By filling gaps in care and forging statewide partnerships, she has helped transform reproductive health access in Kentucky, especially for those in rural, Appalachian communities.
“Each of these Healthy Champions has stepped up to meet a critical need in their community, often going far beyond what was expected of them,” said Allison Adams, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. “Their creativity, compassion, and commitment are making lasting changes to improve health across the Commonwealth. We are honored to recognize their leadership and to shine a light on the difference one dedicated person can make in the lives of so many Kentuckians.”
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 2025 Gil Friedell Award winner will be announced later this year.