Community Activities and Recruitment in Kentucky

Meet our Kentucky Core Team!

Meet our Community Advisory Board Members

Breathitt and Perry Counties:

Boyle and Garrard Counties:

Linda Baker is a lifelong Garrard County resident. She has been retired for many years but stays busy volunteering for the CASA program, Garrard County Homeless Coalition as a board member and treasurer, and several Inter County Agencies. She is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Daughters of the American Revolution. Before retiring, she worked in a bank’s loan department, where she served many roles, including loan reviewer, loan officer, compliance officer, and risk management. She has attended classes at EKU, UK, Kentucky Bankers Association, American Banking Association, and numerous others.

Linda Baker ~ “Heart problems run in my family, and I lost a granddaughter with lung cancer three weeks after turning twenty-six. I was drawn to the Community Advisory Board in hopes of helping people understand the importance of getting tested and follow up with their doctors.”

Brent Blevins has been the Public Health Director for the Boyle County Health Department since 2011. He has lived in Boyle County for the past 27 years. He has a BS from the University of South Florida and a MA from the University of Louisville.

Brent Blevins ~ “My interest is the people I continually meet in Freedom from Smoking classes who deal with COPD, lung cancer, heart problems, etc. who are searching for help in addition to improving the poor health outcomes we have in Ky.”

Jason Dean is the Vice President of Clinical Effectiveness and Administrator of Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital. He has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Utica College of Syracuse University and is working on a Masters in Business Administration from Northern Kentucky University. He represents Boyle County and has been a resident of the county since 2006.

Jason Dean ~ “I want to help our community live a healthier life and improve heart and lung outcomes for those who we care for.”

Terry M. Dunn is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Boyle County Emergency Medical Services located in Danville, Kentucky. Mr. Dunn is a licensed Minister, Social Worker, and a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University in 2013. After completing internships with Family Services Association and Harvesting Hope Incorporation both of Boyle County, Mr. Dunn worked for Signature Healthcare as the Director of Social Services for 4 years. Mr. Dunn’s faith is the driving force behind his dedicated community service as an agent for change.

Angela Muncy was raised in Leslie County, Kentucky and relocated to Boyle County in 2018 to become the Director of Environmental Services/Code Enforcement for the Boyle County Fiscal Court. She has spent 32 years in city/county government. She is also a Master Environmental Educator, Master Naturalist, as well as a Certified Municipal Clerk. She received a BS in Finance from Lincoln Memorial University in 1987.

Angela Muncy ~ “Being from Eastern Kentucky and working with Solid Waste issues for over 20 years, I have always been concerned not only with quality of healthcare for heart and lung issues, but how the environment and our habits can affect our heart and lung health.”

Audrey Powell is a Boyle County resident and has held the position of Executive Director of Community Service at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center for the past 16 years. She graduated from Indiana University School of Nursing with a BS in Nursing and MS in Nursing of Adults with Biodissonance. Since her retirement, she serves as a volunteer faith community nurse in a congregation of about 400 families. During her tenure at Ephraim McDowell Health, she led the Danville component of the HeartHealth project in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Gill Heart Institute. The aim of the project was to identify cardiovascular risk factors amenable to reduction by lifestyle changes. After the closure of the HeartHealth Study, the team applied for and received a rural health grant and, over four years, continue to screen for CV risk factors and provide participant education. Her department also ran a free clinic for uninsured individuals meeting economic challenges guidelines with chronic obstructive lung disease, congestive heart failure, type II diabetes, gastric esophageal reflux disease, and hypertension. The clinic’s success was tracked by the decrease in ER visits and the quality-of-life scores for the participants. Audrey has experience in nursing leadership, CCRN, and as a guest lecturer at a local university.

Babette Overman has been a state and community leader in her service in bettering Kentuckian’s mental and physical health. She has been a Garrard County resident for 16 years, with her husband, Kirby, married for 44 years and have one son. Her education was at Purdue University – education and engineering. and presently owns a company – “Maiden America”. She has served as the President of Kentucky Women in Agriculture and the Program Coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s “Raising Hope” initiative.

Her work within both entities promoted the healthy lives of Kentucky farm families. Presently, Babette serves as a member and Board member/officer of several community and area organizations. The Garrard County Extension Service Homemakers Association, Nicholasville Farmer’s Market to name just a few but is honored to serve as a member of the Community Advisory Council of Emory University’s Roybal Center for Demential Family Caregivers representing rural America. She will soon be a participant in the development of the Center’s “Caregiving Navigator-Develop Skills Online (CAN DO program) aiming to equip caregivers to navigate through health care, legal, financial and financial systems on behalf of the person for who they provide care for and themselves. Her passion is recognized nationally for advocating healthy minds, bodies and spirits for people in all socio-economic arenas.

Laura Richard is a Garrard County native and currently the Executive Director of the Ephraim McDowell Health Care Foundation. In her role, she works in the community to further the foundation mission, which provides philanthropic support for various health care initiatives within Ephraim McDowell Health’s six county region. Laura is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and was inspired to participate in CAB to make sure our community has amazing health care opportunities right here ‘at home’.

Doug Simpson is the Fire Chief for the City of Danville in Boyle County. He has been with the city for 20 years and has been in the Fire Chiefs role for 2 years. He will represent Boyle County on the CAB, where he has resided for the past 5 years.

Doug Simpson ~ “I am excited about the study because heart disease in the fire service is a major issue. Fifty percent of all fire-related fatalities can be attributed to heart disease.”

Steven Sleeper is a Boyle County Magistrate District 6. He is a retired System Chaplain for Ephraim McDowell Health and former Director of Laboratory Services for James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital and Adjunct Professor for Campbellsville University. He has a Master of Theology from Campbellsville University, a Bachelor of Science Pastoral/Youth Ministry from United Wesleyan College, Bachelor of Arts Biology from Albion College, Associate degree in Applied Science MLT from Kellogg College, and a Medical Technologist certificate from American Society for Clinical Pathology.

“As a county magistrate I sit on the Boyle County Fiscal Court which makes decisions that touch on many aspects of community life with the aim to improve the quality of life for all our citizens.  In my nearly forty years of health care experience, I have cared for the clinical and spiritual needs of patients, many of whom had diseases of the heart and lungs.  As a medical laboratorian I have performed clinical lab analyses on patients, and as a hospital chaplain I have tended to the spiritual needs of sick and dying patients. I was introduced to the RURAL heart and lung study through a presentation at our fiscal court. I became involved as a Community Advisory Board member after talking with Stephie Abraham at a county employee health fair.  I had inquired about being a subject in the study, however, my age was outside the study parameter.  I hope to contribute to the study through the knowledge I have gained in my professional experience, my continued community involvement, and my frequent contact with the people of Boyle County.”

Eboney W. Weathers is a Kentucky native who relocated to Danville, Kentucky, in May 2022 after living in the Atlanta, Georgia, area for the past 9 years. She retired from a very celebrated career with the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2011 with her last position being a political appointee with the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services. Mrs. Weathers is an ordained pastor, retired church planter, social media Ambassador and Influencer. In addition to currently serving on several local, state and National Boards and Commissions, Mrs. Weathers is the founder of several social clubs for women.

Eboney W. Weathers ~ “In October of 2022, my husband Larry had what would have been a fatal heart attack had it not been for the close proximity of their home to the hospital and the diligence and swift response of medical professionals. I almost lost my husband that Sunday afternoon to what many refer to as a ‘widow’s maker’ heart attack. After learning about the mission of the RURAL study, I knew I wanted to partner with such a phenomenal study for my community. I am extremely excited to serve on the Community Advisory Board.”

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