News

BH WELL Comic Featured in American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Newsletter

The American Lung Association featured BH WELL’s When Nicotine Attacks: Fight the Crave  comic in their April 14, 2021 Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Newsletter. BH WELL provides resources for individuals living with mental and behavioral health challenges who want to quit smoking. The ALA newsletter reaches facilitators nationwide working to support people who want to quit smoking. Since most people know smoking is bad for one’s health, the Freedom From Smoking program focuses on how rather than why to quit.

Partner Spotlight: KVC Kentucky

KVC Kentucky exists to enrich and enhance the lives of children and families by providing medical and behavioral healthcare, social services, and education. They provide in-home, in-office, and online social service solutions and child welfare solutions. Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning (BH WELL) and KVC Kentucky have partnered together for program evaluations, resource development and dissemination, and presentations. 

The New Social Worker Features Lella Still’s Call to Bring Social Work out of the Shadows

Lella Still, Director of Social Work at Eastern State Hospital and social work doctoral student in Eastern State Hospital’s Work Learning Program was featured in The New Social Worker recently. Her article, titled “Step Away from the To-Do List and Bring Social Work Out of the Shadows,” notes the importance of advocating for the social work profession. Still discusses the outlook of the future of social work and the overlooked nature of the critical work and outcomes social work professionals accomplish daily.

BH WELL Nicotine Comic Featured in UKNOW

BH WELL is featured in a recent UKNOW! 

The story focuses on the unveiling of BH WELL’s newest product, a comic book entitled WHEN NICOTINE ATTACKS: FIGHT THE CRAVE.  It targets the behavioral health community as the focus is on anxiety and nicotine withdrawal. However, anyone wanting to quit tobacco products might find this useful.

Teen Luka Kinard Shares His Experience with Juul Addiction

News Contributor: Kylie Pemberton 

Congratulations Dr. Zim Okoli, Executive Director of Mental and Behavioral Health for UK College of Nursing

Please join BH WELL in congratulating Zim Okoli PhD, MPH, MSN, RN, NCTTP for being appointed Executive Director of Mental and Behavioral Health for the UK College of Nursing. In this role, he will work to advance mental and behavioral health nursing education, practice and research. Dr. Okoli currently serves as Director of Tobacco Treatment Specialist and Evidence-Based Practice at Eastern State Hospital. In this new role, Dr.

AACN Promotes Nursing Student Well-being, Resilience, and Suicide Prevention

Deans of nursing schools nationwide, both undergraduate and graduate, have teamed together to promote nursing student well-being, resilience, and suicide prevention. They are taking active steps to provide programs and resources encouraging sound mental health, physical health, lifestyle behaviors, and well-being.

Partner Spotlight: Eastern State Hospital

BH WELL and Eastern State Hospital Team Up During COVID-19

University of Kentucky’s Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning (BH WELL) research team is composed of health professionals who stepped up with Eastern State Hospital (ESH) partners in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to BH WELL’s current projects promoting evidence-based best practices in behavioral wellness, here is a spotlight on how the partnership pivoted to meet pandemic needs.

Partner Spotlight: Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative

The Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative (KIHC) at the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute (HDI) exists to ignite positive change to address the significant health disparities for individuals with disabilities across the lifespan. Their team works to establish community partnerships and provide education on inclusive health strategies while providing resources and technical support. Efforts are focused on incorporating universal design to promote broad accessibility in physical spaces, programs, and services in a manner that operates for all people.

Dr. Zim Okoli Named KNA Outstanding Nurse Researcher of the Year

Zim Okoli PhD, MPH, MSN, RN, NCTTP, Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning (BH WELL) Director, was awarded Outstanding Nurse Researcher of the Year from the Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA).

ANA offers new Nurse Suicide Prevention and Resilience Resource 

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is offering a new nurse suicide prevention and resilience website. 

Lovoria Williams PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP Featured on Shift Podcast to Discuss Deadly Effects of Health Inequity

BH WELL’s Lovoria Williams, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, appears as a guest on SHIFT, a podcast aimed at bettering the nursing profession, to discuss the deadly effects of health inequity. She specifically discusses medical bias, culturally relevant care, and nurses as change-agents. 

Full Podcast

Opinion: Here's how we reduce COVID-19 racial disparities and help African Americans

Lovoria Williams PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP Receives Five-Year National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Award

Please join us in congratulating Lovoria Williams Ph.D., FNP-BC, FAANP for her success in receiving a five-year $2,966,335 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases award entitled “Enhancing the Diabetes Prevention Program to promote weight loss among non-responders in a community-based lifestyle intervention”.

BH WELL Receives Funding to Assess Impact of Long-Acting Injectables on Psychiatric Treatment Outcomes

Please join us in congratulating Zim Okoli, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN, CTTS for his success in receiving a two year $383,440 State of Kentucky Department of Medicaid award entitled, "Assessing the Impact of Long-Acting Injectables (LAIs) on Psychiatric Treatment Outcomes Among Medicaid Recipients". 

BREATHE Team Leaders, including BH WELL's Zim Okoli, Receive FY20-22 Award

Please join us in congratulating Ellen Hahn, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Zim Okoli, Ph.D., MPH, MSN, RN, CTTS,  Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Ph.D., RN, and Melinda Ickes, Ph.D. on their recent, two-year, FY20-22 award totaling $1,474,305 from the Kentucky Department for Public Health for the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy.

BH WELL Research To Be Presented at the American Public Health Association’s 2020 Conference

BH WELL researchers have been selected to present at the American Public Health Association’s 2020 Conference, which is expected to be held October 24-28, 2020 in San Francisco, CA. This location is pending based on necessary COVID-19 precautions.

Op-Ed: Stop Using Tobacco Products and Be 'Lung Healthy' at Home

Clearing the Smoke: Kentucky’s Lingering Tobacco Habit

A tobacco barn in Magoffin County near the Mountain Parkway displays what once would have been an unlikely message for any rural Kentucky community: “Quit Now Kentucky. For help quitting smoking, 1-800-quit-now, www.quitnowkentucky.org.”

Farm owner Sheila Salyer acknowledges the irony. “Its history has been raising tobacco,” she said.

On KET’s Health Three60: Clearing the Smoke, Abbie Conley, tobacco coordinator for the Magoffin County Health Department, recalled how tobacco production brought farm families together...

Alex Lusembe is Pinned

We at BH WELL are proud to recognize Alex Lusembe. Alex was a graduate of the Work Learning Program. He received his BSN diploma during UK graduation ceremonies.