Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to help lead new rural program to take on diabetes and obesity
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will serve as a convening partner for a new rural health program aimed at creating a more coordinated approach to chronic disease prevention and management.
The initial priority of Kentucky’s Rural Community Hubs for Chronic Care Innovation program, an initiative of the Kentucky Rural Health Transformation Plan, will be diabetes and obesity, two conditions that significantly affect the health and well-being of Kentuckians.
The program will establish Rural Community Hubs (RCHs) across Kentucky’s Area Development Districts (ADDs), bringing together local stakeholders around a shared strategy for addressing chronic conditions.
“By connecting existing resources, strengthening partnerships and supporting community-driven solutions, the RCH program will work to help communities prevent chronic conditions and to improve outcomes for people living with these diseases,” says a news release.
As the convening partner, the foundation will help ensure the hubs have the resources they need and that their work aligns with federal funding requirements.
“A strength of the Rural Community Hubs model is that it recognizes communities know themselves best,” Allison Adams, president and CEO of the foundation, said in the release. “This is a locally led, state-coordinated effort that will empower communities with the tools, resources and connections needed to create lasting change. The work communities do today has the potential to create better health outcomes for generations to come.”
The program’s phased rollout will begin in the Big Sandy, Lake Cumberland and Purchase ADD regions, with plans to establish Rural Community Hubs across all of the state’s 15 ADD regions.
Hub Lead Organizations will serve as the central coordinating entities for each region, bringing multi-sector partners together to facilitate joint planning and project implementation, according to the release.
This coordinated approach is essential, according to the release. According to the 2025 Kentucky Diabetes Report, diabetes cost Kentucky an estimated $6.1 billion in 2023, and the state’s diabetes mortality rate was 30% greater than the national average.
Kentucky’s Rural Health Transformation Plan, a five-year federal investment to reshape health in rural Kentucky, addresses several of Kentucky’s most pressing rural health challenges, including: maternal and infant health, dental care, diabetes and chronic disease, mental health crisis response and emergency services. It is fully funded by the federal Rural Health Transformation Program and is housed within the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
Counites per ADD Region:
Big Sandy: Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin and Pike counties.
Lake Cumberland: Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor and Wayne counties.
Purchase: Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken counties.