# Lt. Gov. Coleman discussed health priorities if elected governor after speech at KNA conference **Published:** 2026-06-01T22:33:29.000Z **Source:** [Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/06/01/lt-gov-coleman-discussed-health-priorities-if-elected-governor-after-speech-at-kna-conference/) **Republished from:** [Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/06/01/lt-gov-coleman-discussed-health-priorities-if-elected-governor-after-speech-at-kna-conference/) (Authorized by publisher (with credit)) **Canonical:** https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/06/01/lt-gov-coleman-discussed-health-priorities-if-elected-governor-after-speech-at-kna-conference/ By Melissa Patrick, [Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net) · June 1, 2026  Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman expressed her appreciation for the nursing profession at the annual **Kentucky Nurses Association** Leadership & Advocacy Conference on Friday, May 29, at Frontier University in Versailles, saying that she comes from a family of nurses, including her oldest daughter. “I genuinely appreciate what you do,” she said. Later adding, “I believe in the work that you do, and I have more of a bird’s eye view of it, because of my family, than most people do, and so the respect I have for your profession, for answering a calling that most people can’t answer, should not go unnoticed or unappreciated. And so I want to thank you for what you do.” During her short speech, Coleman went on to tout the business and economic achievements of the Beshear/Coleman administration, and mentioned the 15 federally declared natural disasters that have happened while they have been in office. “But here’s the thing that you get about that, in the calling that you have answered, the record economic development and job announcements, they don’t mean anything if we don’t have people prepared and ready to take on those challenges, and that’s why your work is so important,” she said. Coleman then listed the many health-related accomplishments of their administration, from relaunching Kynect, building the first hospital in West Louisville in 150 years, bringing clean drinking water to every Kentuckian, cutting the cost of insulin, and more. “I’m proud that our administration believes and is committed to the belief that health care is a basic human right,” she said. “It is not a privilege; it should be a basic human right.” She also pointed to her work to create the Student Mental Health Initiative, which brought students to the table to lead on this issue, noting that because of their work, the state was able to bring in $40 million to Kentucky for school-based mental health services. “So, my charge to you is to continue working together to make Kentucky the best place that it can be for everyone of every age in every zip code, and that is what I will keep doing as long as I am in Frankfort,” she said in conclusion. **Health priorities for 2027 gubernatorial election** Asked after her speech about her health priorities in her run in the 2027 Kentucky gubernatorial election, Coleman said she will continue to be focused on health care as a basic human right and working with youth mental health. “That is an epidemic that we are facing, that we are getting a little bit more comfortable with talking about, and … displacing that stigma,” she said. She added that an area that needs more attention is the welfare of youth who are in the foster care system, noting that educators and nurses play an important role in their health and safety. “We’re required to report in a lot of cases that we see,” she said. “And I think there is a really important partnership that can be built there in order to keep our kids safe and to create better futures for every kid in Kentucky, regardless of their parents’ decisions.” Asked if it’s important for Kentuckians to elect another Democratic governor in the upcoming election when it comes to healthcare, pointing to the impacts of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act that threaten the financial health of rural hospitals and affordable health insurance for Kentuckians, she said because that bill was passed on party lines, it will be important to elect another Democratic governor to keep a line of defense in the governor’s office. “You know, sometimes in these roles, you get to go on offense, and you get to make great things happen. And sometimes you get to play defense, and you get to keep bad things from affecting people,” she said. “And so in this, in these circumstances, that’s how I see the role of governor with this current makeup of state and federal government, is to defend our people and to fight back for the things that they deserve.” Asked if she was the best person for that job, she said, “I believe so … and I will say that simply because I’ve worked my whole life as a teacher, so every challenge that we face in Kentucky, I don’t see from a political party. I don’t see (it) from a statistic. I see the faces of the kids in my classroom, and that makes it different. It makes it more personal, and it gives you more of a sense of urgency rather than complacency to take on those challenges.” ## Sources - [Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/06/01/lt-gov-coleman-discussed-health-priorities-if-elected-governor-after-speech-at-kna-conference/)