UK nurse and Kentucky Homeplace recognized for outstanding care

The 2018 MediStar Awards will recognize Leslie Scott, associate professor in the UK College of Nursing, and the Kentucky Homeplace initiative. This year’s ceremony will take place on Oct. 30 at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.

For more than a decade, IGE Media, publisher of Medical News, has recognized innovation, advocacy, leadership and excellence in healthcare through the annual MediStar Awards.

Dickinson Wright Nurse of the Year Award

Leslie Scott, a pediatric nurse practitioner and diabetes educator, is the recipient of the Dickinson Wright Nurse of the Year Award, which recognizes a nurse who has gone above and beyond their normal responsibilities to improve best practices and contribute to patient education.

The opportunity to combine treatment, education and mentoring is what keeps Scott motivated.

“What I love most about my faculty role has been my ability to blend my clinical practice with teaching and mentoring future pediatric care providers,” she said. “While I enjoy observing nurses develop advanced practice skills, witnessing a child grow, develop and learn skills to self-manage their diabetes is an amazing experience.”

Hosparus Health Innovation Award

The Hosparus Health Innovation Award, presented to Kentucky Homeplace, recognizes an organization that has developed a new procedure, service, program or treatment that improves the delivery of care. Director Mace Baker will accept the award on behalf of Homeplace.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for the work that Kentucky Homeplace community health workers do in their communities,” Baker said. “This year Kentucky Homeplace will celebrate 25 years of service to the residents of Kentucky. During this time, tens of thousands of Kentuckians have received assistance through the program. The need for Kentucky Homeplace has never diminished; in fact, it has continued to grow every year. We are very proud of the difference our program makes in the lives of our clients and their families.”

In 1994, the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health established Kentucky Homeplace to help medically underserved residents access the medical, social and environmental services and resources they need. Today, Kentucky Homeplace’s geographic area has expanded to include over 30 rural Eastern Kentucky counties.

Kentucky Homeplace employs over two dozen community health workers who are selected from the communities in which they live. CHWs provide an important bridge between patients with the greatest needs and the primary care physicians and health providers in their communities. Homeplace’s training investments in the CHW team have enabled each member to earn certification in evidence-based health education curriculums. These include:

• Chronic disease self-management.
• Mental health first aid.
• The American Heart Association’s HeartSaver CPR.
• Diabetes self-management.
• The Athletics and Fitness Association of America’s Walk with Ease.
• The Department for Community Based Services’ Benefind Assisters.