Community Activities and Recruitment in Kentucky

2024 News and Events

Presentation for Hazard City Council and Perry County Fiscal Court

On December 16th and 17th, Dr. Boone and Stephie presented and provided an update about the RURAL study and its impact on the Kentucky community to the Hazard City Council and Perry County Fiscal Court.

Soldiers of Jesus Christ Toy Drive Event

On December 13th and 14th, Stephie and Scotland traveled to Perry County to promote the study at the Hazard Small Town Christmas Event and the SJC Toy Drive event in Breathitt County.

Soldiers of Jesus Christ Food Pantry Event

On December 7th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart from the Kentucky Core of the RURAL Study distributed Christmas goodies and promotional materials to over 100 individuals at the Soldiers of Jesus Christ (SJC) Food Pantry event in Breathitt.

Jackson City Council Presentation

On November 21st, Dr. Stephanie Boone and Stephie Abraham traveled to Jackson in Breathitt County to present to the Jackson City Council. They also dropped off materials at the Juniper Health Family Clinic in Jackson.

Kentucky Core PI Interview on WYMT-TV in Hazard, Kentucky

WYMT’s Steve Hensley interviewed Dr. Stephanie Boone, the Kentucky Core State PI, about the Rural Heart and Lung Study and why it’s being done with in Perry and Breathitt Counties on the Issues and Answers program, which aired on November 18th.

Buckhorn Medical Clinic

Dr. Stephanie Boone and Stephie Abraham drove to Buckhorn and Chavies in Perry County to distribute study materials to the Buckhorn medical clinic, post office, local stores, and the family service center.

Centre College Event

On November 12th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart attended the Centre College’s, Live Centred Event in Boyle County where they promoted the study to Centre College staff.

Garrard County High School College and Career Fair

On November 7th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart attended the Garrard County High School’s college and career fair to promote the study. They connected with several school staff members and distributed brochures to the entire school staff.

Battle of Leatherwood Reenactment

The Kentucky Core packed approximately 200 goodie bags with RURAL brochures, souvenir items, candies for Perry County’s Battle of Leatherwood reenactment and Apostolic Outreach of SJC’s Hallelujah Carnival.

Paint Lick Village Festival

On October 19th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart attended the Paint Lick Village Fest in Garrard County and shared study information and distributed souvenir items to 50 individuals.

Monthly Food Pantry at SJC

On October 12th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart traveled to Jackson, Breathitt County to promote the study at a monthly food pantry event hosted by the Apostolic Outreach of SJC (Soldiers of Jesus Christ). They passed out information to about 200 families.

Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program

Task Force Meeting On October 10th, Dr. Stephanie Boone and Stephie Abraham attended the Kentucky Department of Health Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program’s Task Force Meeting to connect with stakeholders in Perry and Breathitt counties. Dr. Boone was one of the speakers where she presented the RURAL study.

Primary Care Association Annual Meeting

On October 6th and 7th, the Kentucky Core attended the Kentucky Primary Care Association’s Annual Meeting where they connected with several stakeholders relevant to the four target counties.

Perryville Commemoration Festival

On October 4th and 5th, the Kentucky Core attended the Perryville Commemoration Festival in Boyle County where they discussed the study with about 40 people.

Homemakers Association Annual Meeting

On October 4th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart attended the Garrard County Kentucky Homemakers Association Annual Meeting to promote the study and distribute souvenir items.

Five Alarm Festival Caleb

Williams attended the Five Alarm Festival, an event to honor firefighters, and distributed many RURAL souvenir items.

Breathitt Honey Festival

On August 30th through September 1st, Caleb Williams, Stephie Abraham, and Scotland Stewart, the Kentucky Core CECs and the Kentucky Core Graduate Student, attended the Breathitt Honey Festival and promoted the Study. They had a great turnout, with several individuals expressing interest in the study.

Garrard County Rural Heritage Tobacco Festival

On September 6th and 7th, Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart, the Boyle and Garrard CEC and the Kentucky Core Graduate Student, attended the Garrard County Rural Heritage Tobacco Festival, where they had the opportunity to talk to about 65 individuals. They want to thank Garrard County CAB member, Linda Baker, for stopping by the booth to show support and for sharing the Study with the community.

Black Gold Festival 2024

On September 19th through September 21st, Caleb Williams, the Perry and Breathitt CEC, promoted the Study the Black Gold Festival and spoke to about 75 people about the Study.

Perry County Fish Fry Fish Fry

Event in Perry County The Kentucky Core team distributed push cards at the July 4th Fish Fry event in Hazard in Perry County.

Louisiana Site Visit

On June 19, the Kentucky Core team traveled to Louisiana! We connected with Dr. Stephanie Broyles (Louisiana Core Principal Investigator) and Erin Theriot (Community Engagement Coordinator for Assumption Parish), who showed us around Napoleonville where the Mobile Exam Unit (MEU) is stationed. We got to know the MEU staff who gave us a tour and shared tips for explaining components and procedures of the exam.

June Fairs and Events

Throughout the month of June, the Kentucky Core team promoted the study at the Perry County Fair, Thursdays on the Grande in Hazard, Summer in the Park in Perry County and distributed swag and push cards at an event with Breathitt Food Pantry in Jackson.

Boyle County Fair

Stephie Abraham and Scotland Stewart promoted the study and distributed SWAG at the Boyle County fair to about 25 people over 2 days.

May CAB Meetings

In the last 2 weeks of May, the Kentucky Core team held Community Advisory Board meetings for Boyle/Garrard and Perry/Breathitt Counties. The primary focus of the meetings were to get feedback on crucial aspects of our work including community engagement efforts, networking, MEU locations, and advertising.

Garrard County Earth Day Festival

In April, the Kentucky Core team promoted the study at the Garrard County Earth Day Festival in Lancaster, providing the community with information on how they can be part of the study.

Give Your Heart Some Love this Valentine’s Day!

On February 14, Caleb Williams handed out RURAL swag items and discussed the study with attendees of the Center of Excellence in Rural Health’s “Give Your Heart Some Love this Valentine’s Day!” event. This event also featured free health screenings, American Heart Month information, and heart healthy snacks.

Lunch & Learn Event

Stephie Abraham attended a Lunch & Learn event later in January, hosted by the UK Extension Office in Garrard County where she introduced the study to the county residents. It was a great opportunity to meet with residents from different parts of the county.

Hazard Chamber of Commerce Meeting Presentation

On January 23, Dr. Stephanie Boone and Caleb Williams presented at the Hazard Chamber of Commerce meeting in Perry County to Perry County to give an overview of the study and to provide recruitment updates.

January CAB Meetings

In January, the Kentucky Core team hosted CAB meetings for all four counties. The meetings were focused on identifying hard-to-reach populations and the CABs provided guidance for which advertising methods would be efficient in all counties.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions or comments, please call us at 1-888-RURALST (1- 888-787-2578) or email us at RURALstudy@uab.edu

If you would like to contact the KY team, email ruralky@louisville.edu or please contact:

Stephanie Boone at 502-852-2257 or email stephanie.boone@louisville.edu
Stephie Abraham at 502-852-3992 or email stephie.abraham@louisville.edu