A new coalition has been formed to discuss strategies for improving the health status for Kentucky's women, and Gwenda Adkins, Elliott County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, has been invited to join the coalition. Organized through the Kentucky Commission on Women, the Kentucky Women's Health Coalition will engage in health reform discussions and recommend initiatives to change the grade for the status of women's health in Kentucky.
First Lady Jane Beshear is chairing the coalition, and Allison Mongiardo, wife of Lieutenant Governor Dan Mongiardo, is serving as co-chair. Four meetings are planned during the winter and spring. Through the meetings, the coalition will develop proposals to address the health care needs of Kentucky women.
Adkins is excited about this opportunity to represent Cooperative Extension as a member of the coalition, and is disturbed by Kentucky's current rankings related to women's health. She stated, "I want to learn what we can do through our programs to help raise Kentucky's rankings for women's health."