Inaugural Kentucky Health Policy Conference focused on substance use disorder
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 8, 2025) — The University of Kentucky College of Nursing’s Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments (BREATHE) hosted the inaugural 2025 Kentucky Health Policy Conference: A Focus on Substance Use Disorder, where community members, health professionals, researchers and leaders gathered to present and share best practices on policies impacting substance use disorder prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery. The April 2 conference brought together health advocates from across Kentucky and hosted local and national speakers on cannabis, tobacco treatment, peer support certification, recovery housing and policy solutions.
Conference speakers included:
- Katie Marks, Ph.D., Commissioner for the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
- Margaret McGladrey, Ph.D., UK College of Public Health
- Jessie Halladay, Kentucky Office of the Attorney General
- Lauren Carr, Kentucky Association of Counties
- Shanna Babalonis, Ph.D., UK College of Medicine
- Janine Barnett, UK College of Nursing
- Tara Hyde, People Advocating Recovery
- Dane Prieston, Kentucky Alliance of Recovery Residences
- Anna-Maria South, M.D., UK HealthCare
- Gary Biggers, Voices of Hope
“It was wonderful to have the opportunity to engage with experts in substance use disorder, elevate the voices of individuals with lived experience, and collaborate with key community, university, and state partners to identify and address relevant health policy issues,” said Kristin Ashford, Ph.D., UK College of Nursing professor and Good Samaritan Endowed Chair for Community Nursing.
The Kentucky Health Policy Conference was supported by UK’s Good Samaritan Endowment and the Office of the Vice President for Research. It is part of the UK College of Nursing’s BREATHE, which promotes healthy environments and lung health to achieve health equity through research, community outreach, advocacy and policy development.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.