Kentucky's lieutenant governor visits CHNK

Covington, KY—Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky/CHNK Behavioral Health welcomed Kentucky’s 58th Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman to its administrative and residential campus in Devou Park in Covington on July 17. Known for her service as an educator and politician, Coleman is also the founder and president of Lead Kentucky, a nonprofit organization focused on education reform and ensuring Kentucky's college women are prepared, encouraged, and empowered to seek leadership positions on their campuses and professionally.

During her visit to CHNK, Coleman met with CHNK executive staff to learn about the organization’s work in Northern Kentucky and throughout the region. Staff shared how CHNK is addressing needs upstream specific to mental health care services when and where they are needed and highlighted key partnerships with fellow community institutions and organizations. CHNK thanked Coleman for her service to the Commonwealth and for her advocacy in addressing youth mental health issues. As part of her work as lieutenant governor, she has been an exceptional advocate and partnered with students and education leaders to bring more than $42 million in federal funding for programs such as access to school-based mental health services.

“It is absolutely refreshing to see our local and state legislators advocating for an easier path to mental health in this current moment where youth and families are struggling significantly,” said Rick Wurth, CEO of CHNK. “CHNK has been nurtured and supported by the current administration and by our local elected officials in ways that transcend ‘politics as usual,’ resulting in Kentucky youth and families receiving services when and where they are needed.”

CHNK looks forward to continuing the conversation about partnering with Coleman’s office on youth mental health, drawing on its deep experience in providing unique services through best practices. In particular, CHNK hopes to assist with the Policy Academy to Drive Thriving Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing project to which Coleman was appointed, with Kentucky as one of only six states named to lead the way.  

CHNK is the only licensed provider of psychiatric residential facility treatment in the Northern Bluegrass Region of the Commonwealth and the first organization to implement the internationally-known Sanctuary Model of Trauma Informed Care in Kentucky. Additionally, the nonprofit was the first mental health provider in the state to partner with a public school district to provide an on-site therapeutic day school, with the goal of diverting at-risk youth from court systems, juvenile justice institutions, and out-of-home care. For the first time in its nearly 150-year history, CHNK requested and received $6 million in support from the 2024-26 budget of the Commonwealth to advance its mission to create an easier path mental health for youth and families.

CHNK takes its work seriously as a critical asset to the health of Kentucky communities and the region and looks forward to continued partnerships with the public and private sectors.

About CHNK Behavioral Health

Established in 1882, Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky/CHNK Behavioral Health is a regional leader in serving individuals who have experienced mental health disorders, addiction, abuse, neglect, or other trauma. Through a combination of outpatient and residential services, CHNK’s 140 health care professionals take a trauma-informed and family-focused approach to treatment, annually impacting more than 3,000 individuals and providing more than 30,000 services. For more information, visit www.chnk.org or call 1-844-YES-CHNK (1-844-937-2465) for treatment services.