Students Attend Legislative Day

Northeast Kentucky AHEC Director David A. Gross, left, and participants in the AHEC’s Kentucky Rural Health Association (KRHA) Student Chapter visited with state Sen. Phillip Wheeler, right, on Jan. 26 as part of the Kentucky Rural Health Association’s (KRHA) annual Legislative Day in Frankfort.

The Morehead State University (MSU) students pictured here (from left) are: Kelton Crank, who is pursuing a health care administration degree; Blair Rice, pre-med; and Tanner Hamilton, pre-med. Sen. Wheeler lives in Pikeville but his district now includes two counties in the Northeast Kentucky AHEC’s service area: Elliott and Lawrence; until recently, Sen. Wheeler also served Morgan County, which is in the Northeast Kentucky AHEC’s service area.

In all, six MSU students accompanied Gross and Northeast Kentucky AHEC Assistant Director KaSandra Hensley to this year’s KRHA Legislative Day. Gross, Hensley, and the students met with several state senators to ask for their support of AHEC funding in the state budget. AHEC funding in the amount of $2.5 million per year for July 2022-June 2024 was included in Gov. Andy Beshear’s Executive Budget and in the recently approved Kentucky House of Representatives budget. The budget is now being considered by the Kentucky Senate’s Appropriations & Revenue Committee.

To contact your state senator in support of AHEC funding, you may call (502) 564-8100.