Nicole Peritore, Program Coordinator for Health Education through Extension Leadership (HEEL), has been selected to serve a three year term on the Community Advisory Council for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. The Foundation for Healthy Kentucky was founded in 2001with a mission to address the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians. The Foundation strives to improve access to care, reduce health risks and disparities, and promote health equity by pursuing the elimination of health disparities and inequalities. The current focus areas of the Foundation are promoting responsive health policy and investing in Kentucky’s future by improving the health of Kentucky’s children through school-based programs.
The roles of the Community Advisory Council include serving as a liaison with the community, providing the Board of Directors with advice and recommendations in regard to policy and adherence to the mission, and nominating candidates for election to the Board of Directors. In response to joining the Community Advisory Council, Nicole stated, “I feel it’s very important for Extension to be at the table when looking at the direction of health care for Kentucky, especially when it comes to reducing health risks and disparities that may be seen across the Commonwealth.”
Alongside this new appointment, Nicole is also an active member of Kentucky Voices for Health and serves on the USDA Subcommittee for Professional Training and the planning committee for the National Extension Health Conference. Her areas of emphasis are physical activity, Affordable Care Act, health disparities, and family health programming. When asked how this appointment influences her current work, Nicole replied, “As Extension works to improve the lives of individuals, families, communities, and the state, building a relationship with the entities that move Kentucky’s future forward is critical.”