Photo: (first frame)
Kathy Trace, R.N., director of Community Health Programs,
(second from left) receives the 2007 Distinguished Rural Health
Administrator Award from Susan Isaac; (second frame) Jane
Hamel-Lambert, M.B.A., Ph.D., OU-COM director of
interdisciplinary mental health education, Department of Family
Medicine, and president of Interprofessional Partners for
Appalachian Children (IPAC) and John Borchard, R.N., chairman of
the IPAC board of directors, holding the 2007 Distinguished
Rural Health Program Award.
by Kevin Sanders
Sept. 26, 2007
The Ohio Department of Health
recently honored Kathy Trace, R.N., director of OU-COM’s
Community Health Programs, and Interprofessional Partners for
Appalachian Children (IPAC) with its 2007 Distinguished Rural
Health Awards. The awards are presented annually by ODH. This
year’s awards were made at the RHIOhio: Bridging the Digital
Divide in Rural Ohio conference, held at Ohio University Sept.
17 and 18 in Athens.
“Addressing disparities in
health care is one of my priorities,” said ODH Director Alvin D.
Jackson, M.D., who was one of the featured speakers at the
conference. “These honorees were chosen because of their
passionate efforts to address such disparities. I hope others
will follow the examples they set.”
Trace, the recipient of the
Distinguished Rural Health Administrator Award, was honored for
demonstrating “effectiveness in program implementation, skills
as a leader in the rural health community and lasting
contribution to the rural health care delivery system,” said
Heather Reed, Rural Health Section Administrator of the Primary
Care and Rural Health Program at ODH.
Under Trace’s leadership, the
program established a free medical clinic in Athens, Meigs and
Washington counties. The clinic provides free health care
services, including exams, treatment and referrals for the
uninsured. Trace has led Community Health Programs since 2002,
during which time the program has been recognized as an “Ohio
Hero” by Ohio magazine.
“I am much honored to have
received this award. But the award reflects the hard work of the
college and the people at Community Health Programs. They make
it all possible,” said Trace.
“I love working with people who
love to help people.”
“Kathy is a champion of
community health and education services,” said Reed.
IPAC, recipient of
Distinguished Rural Health Program, was honored for being ODH’s
program of the year, which is selected for its “innovation and
effectiveness of programmatic efforts, its lasting impact on the
rural community and its emphasis on coordination and
collaboration within the community as a way to strengthen the
program’s long-term sustainability and success in serving its
clients,” said Reed. IPAC is headed by Jane Hamel-Lambert,
M.B.A., Ph.D., Department of Family Medicine at OU-COM and
IPAC president and John Borchard, R.N., Southern Consortium for
Children and the chairman of IPAC’s board of directors, who
received the award. IPAC, a network of professionals and
consumers based in Southeastern Ohio, provides increased access
to quality mental health services for young children in the
Appalachian region and addresses the critical and complex
challenges impacting the health and mental health of children
and families.
“We were really honored to
receive the award and the recognition from the state. More
importantly, it recognizes the value of bringing together the
university and community-based agencies dedicated to effecting
change,” said Hamel-Lambert.
“It’s the combined efforts of
those involved that make this program work.”
IPAC received one of only five
grants this year from the Office of Rural Health Policy at
Health Resources and Services Administration through its Rural
Network Development Grant Program.
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