LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has named Donovan Blackburn, CEO of the Pikeville Medical Center (PMC), its 2023 Gil Friedell Memorial Health Policy Award winner for helping change the landscape of healthcare in eEastern Kentucky. In his time as a healthcare leader, he has facilitated the vast expansion of healthcare options in Appalachia that residents previously had to travel hours to obtain in larger cities. Because of Blackburn’s vision, thousands of Kentuckians have access to the resources needed to sustain a healthy life.
“Donovan Blackburn has been a visionary for eastern Kentucky and has helped bring the type of high-quality care to the region that its residents have long deserved,” said Ben Chandler, president and CEO, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. “A chance for a healthy life shouldn’t be determined by the area of Kentucky in which you live, and Donovan’s work is making the commonwealth a more equitable place to access healthcare.”
Blackburn’s ability to foster consensus through collaboration has helped secure millions in investment in healthcare delivery. In 2020, PMC opened its Appalachian Valley Autism (AVA) Center. In 2021, The Mettu Children’s Hospital opened, allowing clinicians to partner with specialists in cardiology, endocrinology, and pulmonology at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. In 2022, a satellite center in Floyd County opened, enabling the AVA Center to provide services to children from Pikeville and Prestonsburg.
Adding to a growing suite of services, PMC opened its Heart and Vascular Institute of Eastern Kentucky, the result of a $35.2 million capital investment. The new space includes a new cardiac rehabilitation department, 29 exam rooms and three state-of-the-art interventional cardiac catheterization labs. This advanced technology enables physicians to perform cutting-edge procedures that were once only available in larger cities.
This healthcare transformation has lowered costs, reduced travel and increased the quality of care for an area of the state that has been underserved for generations.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive the 2023 Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Gil Friedell Award,” said Blackburn. “I view this not as a recognition of my efforts but as a testament to the collective dedication of more than 3,000 employees at Pikeville Medical Center, who work tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of our beloved community. PMC’s corporate commitment to creating a healthier eastern Kentucky is also one I carry personally as I lead our organization. With every milestone we reach and every accomplishment we celebrate, we are building a healthier, more vibrant community for generations to come.”
As part of the Friedell Award, the Foundation donates $5,000 to a nonprofit, chosen by the winner, that is positively impacting health and/or health policy in Kentucky. Blackburn selected the AVA Center. The center provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to children on the spectrum between the ages of 2 and 12. The AVA currently supports 90 kids and is projected to double that by the end of 2024.
Dr. Gil Friedell was the first director of the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky and cofounder of the Kentucky Cancer Registry. He helped launch a nonprofit advocacy education organization in 2005 that later became the Friedell Committee for Health System Transformation. The Foundation created the Friedell Award when it united with the Friedell Committee in 2018.
Healthy Kentucky Champions
The Friedell Award winner is selected from each year’s Healthy Kentucky Champions, a program that recognizes Kentucky individuals making a difference in the health of their communities or state. The rest of the 2023 Healthy Kentucky Champions are:
- Dr. Muhammad Babar – Doctors for Healthy Communities
- Shelly Baer – Emerald Therapy Center
- Mark Birdwhistell – UK HealthCare
- Dr. Lacretia Dye – Western Kentucky University
- Dr. Donald Frazier – UK Science Outreach Center
- Dr. Ellen Hahn – Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy
- Jeremy Harrell – Veteran’s Club Inc.
- Dr. Susan Jones – Western Kentucky University
- Dr. Whitney Jones – Colon Cancer Prevention Project
- Dr. Karl Lange – Mission Health Lexington
- Dr. Katherine Marks – Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Cabinet for Health and Family Services
- Rhondell Miller – HOTEL INC.
- Jerry Ugrin – Primary Plus
