Health Education Director, Madison County Health Department Location: Berea, KYPhone: 859-228-2041Email: ruthr.hawkins@ky.gov
Length of Time in Public Health:
Current Work Setting:
- Governmental public health
Relationship Building Experience:
- I have been involved in developing an academic health department (AHD)
About Me:
- Hold a Master of Science in Community Health Nursing (awarded 1979)
- Have taught Community Health/Public Health Nursing at undergraduate and graduate levels in two state universities
- Have held a Director of Nursing position at a Local Health Department
- Currently serve as Health Education Director in a Local Health Department supervising a team of health educators (2), a nurse (1), support staff (2), and a CDC Public Health Associate; focus areas include tobacco use prevention and cessation, safety, nutrition and physical activity (including Safe Routes to School and Farm to School), Prescription Drug Disposal Program, MAPP Community Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan, accreditation and performance improvement
- Have served as a mentor (12 years) for undergraduate students in nursing and health education and graduate students in nursing, public health, and health administration from two state universities, a private university and a private college
- Serve on advisory councils for a state university's MPH and nursing programs
- Received MCHES (2011) as part of first cohort to receive designation
- Secured grant funding and served as project director for Healthy Communities, Farm to School, and Prescription Drug Disposal Program
- Serve on local hospital's Community Assessment Committee and am a member on local and state coalitions
- I am member of a newly formed work group comprised of representatives from our agency and a local state university's College of Nursing and Health Sciences who are in the process of developing a formal agreement for an Academic Health Department partnership
About My Institution:
Madison County Health Department
- Is a public health practice organization
- Employs 100-499 people
- Serves a rural geographic area
- Is currently working to form AHD partnerships
- Has relationships with academic health professions institutions for:
- Public health education/training
- Has relationships with academic health professions institutions characterized by:
- Collaborative public health education/training