Center for Excellence in Rural Health

Baretta Casey Honored by the NRHA

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 20, 2008) − The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has awarded Dr. Baretta Casey with its Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Health Care.

"I greatly appreciate this award," Casey said. "However, it truly recognizes all those who have labored on behalf of rural Kentuckians in need of quality health care. Without their support, our success would not have become a reality."

Casey serves as director of the University of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Rural Health. She is also professor and vice chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, UK College of Medicine. During her 34-year career, Casey’s dedication to rural health has included extensive research and policy efforts at the state and national levels.

Casey has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to women’s health. She spearheaded the development of Safe Place, a domestic violence shelter in Pikeville, Ky., and led a successful fundraising campaign to keep the facility open when it was overcrowded and in need of repair. Casey is also one of only nine physicians in Kentucky’s 51-county Appalachian region who routinely examined children for signs of abuse.

"Whether in private practice, her academic work or her leadership positions, Dr. Casey has always provided a quiet and dedicated focus for those around her, and the effect her passion has had on the lives of rural individuals is unparalleled," said NRHA CEO Alan Morgan.

The Louis Gorin award was presented during the NRHA Annual Conference which attracted 900 rural health professionals and students to New Orleans May 9. The award is presented annually in memory of Louis Gorin, a federal employee who for 25 years helped lead the design and authorization of health initiatives for rural America.

The NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. The NRHA membership is made up of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.