LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) is proud to announce it received a grant from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) in the amount of $10,000 to purchase PPE (personal protective equipment) for use in COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. These essential supplies — including N95 masks, latex gloves, wipes and hand sanitizer — will support KNA’s efforts to continue offering free COVID testing and vaccination clinics in Louisville and expanding across Kentucky.
Since the onset of the COVID pandemic and the introduction of the COVID vaccine, KNA has led Louisville’s COVID response, organizing hundreds of volunteers and partnering to offer hundreds of mobile missions. The KNA team was also instrumental in the operation of the LouVax drive-through vaccination site at Louisville’s Broadbent Arena, where over 110,000 vaccines were provided by its completion in March 2021.
Going forward, the KNA is committed to addressing ongoing COVID vaccination needs by sharing the testing and vaccination clinic successes with community organizations across Kentucky.
While May 11, 2023, marked the end of the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration for COVID-19, the CDC recommends that individuals ages 6 years and older receive an updated (bivalent) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they previously completed their (monovalent) primary series. To date, only 17% of Kentuckians have received this bivalent dose.
“COVID-19 is here to stay, and it’s essential to keep up with the recommended vaccines,” said Delanor Manson, CEO of the KNA. “This generous funding from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels will greatly assist the KNA in continuing and expanding our COVID response model, offering more vaccines to underserved and underrepresented areas.”
HOKC awarded $3.1 million in grants supporting 343 non-profits, impacting more than 3.8 million Kentuckians. Grants are made possible through donations from Kentucky Colonels from throughout the Commonwealth and worldwide who chose to exercise the honor of being named a Kentucky Colonel in a meaningful way.
Commanding General Gary Boschert states, “2022/2023 was another generous year for Colonels. We were able to award another $3.1 million dollars to 343 non-profits this year that help them support over 3.8 million Kentuckians. Kentucky Colonels’ generosity is heartfelt and well spent on worthy agencies across the Commonwealth. Our long-term efforts in western and eastern Kentucky are ongoing, with funds remaining for each effort. We work with other agencies to spend Kentucky Colonel’s money wisely and deliver the goods and products needed for the rebuild.”
