DAVID, Ky. — Saint Vincent Mission in Floyd County has been indispensable to Floyd County throughout the 2022 flooding disaster and continued recovery. The organization today was joined by elected officials as Kentucky Association of Health Plans, the trade association representing commercial insurers and Medicaid managed care organizations in the Commonwealth, awarded St. Vincent a $50,000 grant for the construction of a much-needed new warehouse. The new facility at Saint Vincent Headquarters in David, KY, will allow the nonprofit to store more materials for home repair efforts, household, clothing and cleaning and hygiene supplies while continuing to assist the community through their thrift store, food pantry, Christmas program, and career assistance.
“This grant is going to change many lives because the tragic flooding that struck our service area in July of 2022 has increased requests for assistance with flood-related home repairs. We have been limited in the houses we could turn a year because we have been constrained on the amount of purchased and donated construction materials, disaster relief tools, and equipment and cleanup supplies we could store at once,” said Erin Bottomlee, Executive Director of Saint Vincent Mission. “Disaster Relief workers will spend less time traveling to multiple locations for supplies. This will improve our ability to address the role of housing as a social determinant of health more efficiently. We are grateful for KAHP’s generosity.”
St. Vincent serves as part of the long-term recovery group for Floyd County. Once completed, the organization estimates they can repair 15 more houses a year.
“Eastern Kentucky flooding relief has been a top priority for our grants committee,” said Tom Stephens, CEO and president of the Kentucky Association of Health Plans, and local elected officials. “This proposal was an easy call for us to fund because Saint Vincent has such a strong reputation and volunteer base. KAHP is honored to help them reach even more families in need.”
In 2022, KAHP and its members mobilized to provide resources in the immediate aftermath of the flooding. The organization also made a $200,000 donation to the Kentucky Rural Health Collaborative fund dedicated to Eastern Kentucky healthcare workers with homes destroyed or damaged in the floods so that they could rebuild and purchase discounted everyday appliances for their residences. The donation was designed to help keep rural networks strong.
