UK Health Corps is Here to Help
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2020) — As previously announced, the newly developed University of Kentucky Health Corps support team is committed to serving the campus community as students return for the fall semester.
The team is made up of 16 new dedicated staff members ranging from communicators to outreach coordinators, case managers and tracers, as well as wellness connectors and an academic coordinator. As the semester begins, they will receive and relay student testing results. For students who do test positive for COVID-19, UK Health Corps team members will coordinate closely with state and local health officials to ensure students have the information they need to stay safe and compliant. Health Corps is also answering questions from faculty and staff about their health needs.
Lance Poston, executive director for Inclusive Health and Campus Partnerships in the Office for Institutional Diversity, is the project manager for UK Health Corps.
“It's going to take all of us to do this successfully, and that means following all those CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advice points that we're reiterating: wash your hands often, wear your mask, stay six feet apart, and check in with your symptoms on a daily basis. And, I think, that sort of vigilance from all of our campus community members is what will really make us successful this fall,” said Poston.
The UK Health Corps team is based out of the Hilary J. Boone Center, where they have repurposed the space into a hub for outreach and support for a healthy campus restart.
“We are still that dynamic space for learning and growing, and we’re so happy that you’re going to be a part of that with us this year, whether you’re doing that in person or online,” Poston shared.
For any questions, big or small, students, faculty and staff can reach out to the Health Corps team at 859-218-SAFE (7233) and healthcorps@uky.edu.
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.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.