SENATE PRESIDENT STIVERS RECEIVES

 INNOVATIVE HEALTHCARE LEADER AWARD

FRANKFORT, KY (October 10, 2023) – Senate President Robert Stivers received the Innovative Healthcare Leader Award during today's Council on Postsecondary Education’s Workforce Collaboratory awards luncheon in Lexington.  The award celebrates Stivers’ tenacity, creativity, and dedication to building a diverse and highly skilled healthcare workforce for Kentucky’s future.

“I wholeheartedly believe we have to tackle our healthcare challenges with innovative ways and bring in new partners to invigorate the industry that holds so much promise for Kentucky in so many ways,” said Stivers.  “Everyone in Kentucky has a reason to be excited about how we are changing the healthcare landscape because it means better opportunities for those seeking healthcare professions and better outcomes for those receiving higher quality care.”

The Healthcare Workforce Collaborative is an initiative sponsored through the 2022 appropriation of the General Assembly. This appropriation established grants for public and private two- and four-year institutions to partner with industry to create innovative strategies for boosting the healthcare workforce of Kentucky.

“We are opening up the floodgates to expand higher education opportunities for underrepresented minority groups, low-income and rural students, and reaching down into middle and high schools to get children excited early on about a career in health care,” said Dr. Aaron Thompson, President, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, (CPE). “I can see the changes materializing before my very eyes, and President Stivers is creating the right environment for Kentucky to transform the industry.”

The collaborative promotes partnerships with industry and between Kentucky Community and Technical College System campuses and comprehensive four-year institutions. 

The award to Stivers was largely because of the important legislation he led the General Assembly to craft and pass. Senate Bill 10, which Stivers co-sponsored and was passed during the 2022 General Assembly, made significant strides in removing artificial barriers that prevented eligible students from entering the nursing profession. It made it easier for nurses outside Kentucky to practice here, addressing major workforce shortages.  It also removed arbitrary caps on admission to nursing programs.

Most importantly, SB 10 restructured the Kentucky Board of Nursing to reflect more of Kentucky’s geographical diversity and bolster the voices of nurses by requiring 10 board members to be practicing nurses.  It also implemented legislative oversight of nominations by requiring Senate confirmation of members.

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Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. He serves as chair of the Senate Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee. President Stivers is co-chair of the Legislative Research Commission Committee. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Senate standing committees on Education and Judiciary. During the 2023 interim, Stivers is a Task Force on Local Government Taxation member.

For a high-resolution .jpeg of President Stivers, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate125.jpg/

For more information on members of the Senate Majority Caucus and the upcoming 2024 Legislative Session, such as committee schedules and membership, please visit legislature.ky.gov.

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