Innovation at the University of Louisville generates a forward momentum that fuels a thriving culture of opportunity and excellence. But every so often, it’s worth looking back at where UofL and its community was to know how it’s doing now – to see how yesterday’s news continues to make an impact today.

Below, revisit a few stories from UofL News’ past to see how the promise of what-could-be became a promise kept.

June 29, 2020: UofL Kent School partners with Wellspring to aid homeless Louisvillians

In 2020, the Kent School of Social Work and Family Science announced their partnership with nonprofit organization Wellspring on a new five-year federal grant to offer a unified approach to help homeless people experiencing both mental health and substance abuse issues to find housing and recovery.

Bibhuti Sar, professor of social work and the grant’s lead investigator, noted that people having mental health and substance issues combined with housing insecurity was a major concern for Louisville. “The (Kent School and UofL) strongly support the wellbeing of the community. We welcome the partnership of Wellspring to enhance their efforts and experience to do that work,” he said.

“This will be a life-changing program” Wellspring CEO and Kent alumna Katharine Dobbins said at the time. “We will take a harm-reduction approach, but critical life experiences serve as opportunities to help individuals make positive changes.”

Five years later, the grant project has wrapped up and, according to Sar, produced positive results.

The partnership established the Program for Integrated Care (PIC), an intensive, multidisciplinary clinical treatment and outreach service for at-risk individuals. Comparing a baseline and six-month follow up, participant data shows a decreased use of substances, less depression, anxiety, hallucinations, fewer suicide attempts and increased satisfaction with personal relationships. Impressively, the percentage of participants who were living on the street/outdoors or in a shelter decreased by 27%.

The PIC program made a difference for “Simon,” 52, who was referred to the program in 2021 with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, PTSD and methamphetamine abuse after losing his apartment and returning to homelessness in late 2020. Simon developed a strong relationship with PIC’s full-time peer support specialist who was able to help him build recovery skills toward sobriety. Simon has now been through two successful lease renewals at his apartment, is in the beginning stages of Section 8’s homeownership program, has been sober for over a year and is learning to read and write to become a peer support specialist himself.

Though the grant-funded collaboration has concluded, Wellspring leadership are currently engaged in efforts to sustain the program to continue serving the community.��

March 31, 2022: UofL expands its reach to Shelbyville, providing dental care for the underserved

In 2022, UofL’s School of Dentistry expanded its footprint with a new clinical site in Shelbyville, Kentucky, just south of U.S. 60 East. The new practice opened to further fulfill the dental school’s mission of improving the oral health of all Kentuckians by providing close-to-home access for those in need.

The new site also offered dental students a community location near Louisville to learn alongside a full-time licensed dentist. At the time, now School of Dentistry Dean Margaret Hill highlighted the importance of students growing their skills in a variety of settings. “As our students travel to other parts of Kentucky, they are maturing into culturally competent dental practitioners,” Hill said. “We build service into the educational experience – not just on a volunteer level but as part of the curriculum.”

The office’s inaugural full-time dentist was alumna Pallavi Patil, who emphasized the importance of establishing a good patient-doctor rapport to help motivate patients to seek out comprehensive dental care.

The Shelbyville location’s current full-time dentist, alumna Rhonda Swanson, echoed Patil’s patient-focused mission while celebrating the clinic’s community-focused achievements.

“UofL’s outreach clinics are such a blessing to the communities they serve,” said Swanson. “Since (opening) in 2022, we’ve served thousands of patients, including many who have Medicaid or no dental insurance. As a shortage of Medicaid providers continues to limit care for so many people, our clinic provides access to care for those who may not otherwise have a provider, thus promoting better oral health outcomes in this community.”

Additionally, Swanson said that the clinic now partners with Shelbyville’s Veterans Rural Outreach program to provide oral care for select veterans, made possible through UofL’s fund.

Aug. 11, 2022: UofL employee launches equine therapy organization, Cope’s Hope

In 2021, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development staff member Eric Wright and his wife, Debbie, turned their personal journey into a community service geared toward helping children and families with their founding of Cope’s Hope Equine Assisted Services.

Inspired by the needs of their daughters, Ella and Elsie, Cope’s Hope was created to fill a care void Wright and his family naturally found themselves in during the COVID-19 pandemic when their weekly equine assisted therapy sessions were no longer available. Rather than wait for things to return to normal, Wright took the reins and purchased his uncle’s farm, became a licensed counselor through UofL’s and started his family’s own organization, named for his grandfather and Brandeis School of Law alumnus Arthur Coaplen.

“We’ve just had a flurry of people wrap themselves around this project and this vision,” Wright said at the time. “To be able to offer even a small percentage of people the opportunity to work with horses, whether it be for mental health or for therapeutic services, is so rewarding.”

Three years later, Cope’s Hope continues to grow, serving clients weekly from its Fisherville, Kentucky, location and through partnerships with organizations including the Kentucky School for the Blind, North Star Achievement Center, the Dream Factory of Louisville and even the U.S. Secret Service. These collaborations reflect their commitment to creating safe and supportive environments for healing through a connection with horses.

This summer, the WHAS Crusade for Children awarded the organization a generous grant to expand their therapeutic riding sessions over the next three seasons. Another grant from the American Heart Association allowed them to install emergency preparedness equipment onsite to boost safety for clients, volunteers and their rural neighbors. Other neighborly efforts have included community outreach such as the Hats, Hooves for Hope Parade in the spring and their recent 4th Annual Barn Dance to celebrate persons with different needs.

What began as a response to their own family’s needs has naturally grown into a sanctuary of healing for many.

“We’ve built more than a service,” Wright said. “We’ve built a community.”

Savannah Harper contributed to this story.

Jones is part of the University of Louisville School of Medicine’s , based at Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, which offers students the opportunity to complete medical school in a small community.

It has been a perfect fit for Jones, who will receive her medical degree on May 11 from the and hopes to practice in a rural community.

“I want to practice wide-spectrum family medicine in Western Kentucky. I like the community clinics and small towns,” Jones said. “My husband is from Owensboro and we both like our families, so we want to stay in Western Kentucky.”

Physicians are badly needed in rural areas of the commonwealth, where many communities are medically underserved.

“If you look on a map of health professional shortage areas, almost all of Western Kentucky is blocked out. They don’t have enough of anything,” Jones said.

Jones, who grew up on a farm with her three siblings, is grateful for her down-to-earth upbringing.

“I was raised by a great set of parents. My dad has made an impressive career in the coal mines, runs the family farm and in his little spare time he is a volunteer firefighter,” Jones said. “I am outgoing and talkative just like my dad, but I don’t think I could ever be as hardworking. My mom works as a bookkeeper,��taught us about Jesus and was very involved in our education.”

She also is inspired by her parents’ generosity in the community.

“Seeing how hard my parents worked and how involved they were in communities was enough for me to say I want to come back somewhere similar to home and be involved in that same way.”

Jones sees medicine as a perfect way for her to be involved.

“I like that it’s challenging, I’m always reading and learning and problem solving,” she said. “I also think there is a gap in medicine. I have a really strong faith and I think you miss that a lot in the medical community—doctors that pray and believe in healing and the other side that so many patients also do. So, filling that gap is a big part of why I am in medicine. I want to love others.”

After being introduced to Trover as an undergraduate at Murray State University, Jones spent a summer participating in the Trover Campus Rural Scholars Program. That experience sealed her decision to practice rural medicine.

“I was offered acceptance at four medical school programs, but I chose UofL largely because of the great experience I had in undergrad at the Trover Campus,” Jones said.

Although she did part of her training in Louisville, Jones likes the environment in Madisonville, which provided more one-on-one time with attending physicians.

“I see people all the time I know. It’s different to be somewhere you know people but also, it’s a different feeling from a big university hospital,” Jones said. “People know my parents or I know people’s parents, so it’s a different level of connection.”��

Jones will reach her goal a year sooner than most medical students thanks to Trover’s Rural Medicine Accelerated Track (RMAT), a program allowing students who intend to practice in a rural Kentucky community to finish medical school in three years rather than the typical four.

Jones and Bradley Watson, the 2024 graduates of the RMAT, are completing the program a decade after the first graduate finished in 2014. Jones and Watson also both were awarded the 2023 , which supports RMAT students.

In July, Jones will begin residency training at the UofL .

“It doesn’t really feel real,” she said. “I am finishing a year early so it doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing it that long. But I’m really excited to see what comes next.”

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Ginevra Courtade, chair of the Department of Special ����ֱ��, Early Childhood, and Prevention Science in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, received the grant, along with colleagues from the University of North Florida and the University of Oklahoma. While the entire grant totals $3.5 million, UofL will support six scholars with $1.25 million.

“The part-time program is meant to allow administrators to stay within their respective districts, while building their skills to advance the field,” Courtade explained. “This could be individuals who are already working in administration, or those who are currently special education teachers who show potential to move into leadership roles.” ����

Doctoral students will be supported through three existing degree programs at the University of Louisville, University of North Florida and University of Oklahoma that prepare special education personnel for rural school systems. These schools will work together to accomplish the project objectives of recruitment of diverse students, implementation of high-quality programming, preparation of scholars and support for communities through an enhanced network of special education leadership. ��

The project will leverage the combined strengths of the faculties at all three schools to prepare and increase the number of personnel needed to address shortages of leadership personnel in high-need, rural areas.

“Each school presents unique strengths,” Courtade explained. “The University of North Florida is strong in special education policy, the University of Oklahoma is strong in research, and we here at UofL bring strength with our community partnerships.”

The curriculum of Project SPIDERS scholars will be enhanced through shared access and mentorship across faculty; joint seminars and coursework; and collaborative applied and disseminated scholar projects.

The need for increased leadership and support for special educators in rural districts is high.

“The SPIDERS grant affords the opportunity to address the personnel deficit in rural districts,” sad Larry Taylor, executive director of the Kentucky Autism Training Center.��“Having worked in the rural areas of the Commonwealth, I know firsthand of the challenges for the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel, and it is critical that efforts are made to increase the availability of qualified personnel.��SPIDERS is a great step toward addressing this personnel challenge.”

“Leadership skills afforded by an earned doctorate make a difference for those working in rural areas,” Taylor said.��

To learn more about the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development and the Department of Special ����ֱ��, Early Childhood, and Prevention Science,

Kidd worked with Legal Aid of the Bluegrass on its Justice Bus, a pop-up, mobile office.��

She shared with UofL News the root of her interest in working in rural areas, other hands-on experience she’s gained at Brandeis Law and why she believes in the importance of lawyers’ roles as advocates.

UofL News: What were some of your duties this summer?

Caitlin Kidd: My project is focused on piloting The Justice Bus,��‘ mobile pop-up office.��I helped individuals in rural communities��across Kentucky receive free legal assistance they otherwise would not have access to. I planned events incorporating��pro bono volunteers,��outreach programs and��community partnerships in 10 rural counties for the bus this summer. The bus traveled to the 10 counties, making staff and pro bono attorneys accessible to individuals that may lack means of transportation or connectivity.��

UofL News: Why did you apply for the Rural Summer Legal Corps?

Caitlin Kidd:��I applied for RSLC because there is an extraordinary��need for individuals in rural communities to have access to legal assistance. Eastern Kentucky is home for me.��I have witnessed far too many neighbors, friends and family be forgotten by the legal system. The Justice Bus project was a perfect fit because I had the opportunity to hear stories of rural Kentuckians��and use the skills I developed in my first year of law school to best serve their needs.

UofL News: Why are you interested in the law?

Caitlin Kidd:��I am interested in law for similar reasons that I applied for this fellowship. I want to be an advocate for those that need a helping hand. I am thrilled to be a part of a fellowship this summer that allows for direct client contact and personal connection.��I have learned to appreciate what this profession can mean in the lives of people that are in need. The role of a true advocate can make a world of difference when someone is��having the hardest day they have had to experience.��

UofL News: What other hands-on legal experience have you had?

Caitlin Kidd:��I have worked closely with��Social Security disability,��workers’ compensation and personal injury��cases in the past. I believe my involvement in that��case work sparked��my desire to delve into public interest service��this summer — especially to help��rural Kentuckians that may need assistance��in these areas of the law.

“Our collaboration with the Red Bird Clinic is a significant step for the university as we seek to systematically serve our mission to provide health care throughout the Commonwealth and improve the overall well-being of its citizens,” said UofL Interim President Greg Postel, MD.

Beginning Feb. 23, dental and dental hygiene students will begin clinical rotations at the Red Bird Clinic. Each week, six students will travel to Beverly, Kentucky, and help staff the Dental Clinic, open Thursday through Saturday.

“This new clinical site enhances the education of our students with enriching cultural and clinical practice experiences that will make them compassionate, exceptional dental health care providers,” said the dean of the UofL School of Dentistry, T. Gerard Bradley, BDS, MS, DrMedDent.

The Red Bird Clinic Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that grew out of Red Bird Mission Inc., which started in 1921 with a private school, and expanded to include medical and dental services, job training, clothes closet, food pantry, adult education, services to senior citizens and more.

Red Bird Clinic Executive Director Kari Collins says the relationship with the UofL School of Dentistry increases the availability of dental treatment for the underserved.

“It is our hope that some of these students will be drawn to practice in rural areas; perhaps someone will return to serve at Red Bird Clinic in the future,” Collins said. ����

Under the leadership of Red Bird Clinic Dental Director Bill Collins, DMD, the dental clinic provides a variety of services to about 20 to 25 patients daily, including cleanings, fillings, root canals, crowns, bridges and extractions.

Collins, a graduate of the UofL School of Dentistry, says outreach is essential for the education of dental students.

“Everything is not cut and dry at outreach clinics; high difficulty levels provide challenges for the students and increase their abilities. It’s amazing to watch as they begin to put things together and their eyes and faces become bright with satisfaction. I try to ask students to learn one new thing each day — if they will continue this, it will make them good, confident practitioners,” Collins said.

Other alums of the School of Dentistry, Greg Bentley, DMD, Susan King, DMD, and Bob McGuinn, DMD, will serve on rotation as gratis faculty to oversee the UofL students.

A handful of dental students already have engaged in clinical dental services at the Red Bird Clinic in 2016. The school’s four Outreach Scholars, a designation given through a competitive scholarship opportunity, rotate to six clinics throughout the state. Fourth-year dental student and Outreach Scholar Robbie Troehler, from Ludlow, Kentucky, says it is rewarding to help those in need.

“It has been a blessing to pursue a career in dentistry, and it is important for me to use my education to give back to fellow Kentuckians as I gain valuable experience in outreach clinics,” Troehler said.

The School of Dentistry has a long history of helping serve the people of rural Kentucky, having participated in multiple Remote Area Medical events in Pikeville, where students and faculty provided free dental care to hundreds during each event.

The��2015 DMD-graduates of the University of Louisville Dental School have chosen to join practices where the help is most needed – rural Kentucky.

Both new dentists are benefiting from a loan forgiveness program in exchange for starting their dental careers in areas of Kentucky where there are too few dentists.

Knight of Glasgow, Kentucky, now practices in nearby Tompkinsville, and says her patients are grateful.

“Not all dentists accept Medicaid, so many of my patients are limited in terms of where they can seek dental care,” Knight said. “Although I was scared to visit a dentist as a child, I now have the opportunity to create a relaxing environment and provide quality dental care with some laughter included along the way.”

As a one-time incentive to attract more dental providers to underserved areas, the Appalachian Dental Loan Forgiveness Program supported up to five dental school graduates of either the University of Louisville or University of Kentucky with $100,000 each for a two-year commitment to practice in the eastern region of the state.

“Kentucky is fortunate that the funder, the Appalachian Regional Commission, values the importance of a competent healthcare workforce with this project,” said Julie Watts McKee, DMD, state dental director for the Kentucky Department for Public Health. “This opportunity places two UofL well-trained general dentists in areas of Appalachian Kentucky that are in need of a dentist in their community.”

“We strive to admit a diverse student body, and consideration of regional demographics is one factor. Some students from underserved areas return home, greatly increasing local resident access to care,” said John J. Sauk, DDS, MS, dean, UofL School of Dentistry.

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), the average dental student graduates with a debt of around $280,000, and returning home to a rural area can be a challenging place to begin a practice.

A native of Liberty, Ky., Norvell says the loan forgiveness program has given her the chance to serve the people of Williamsburg, Kentucky – both in treating immediate dental needs and teaching patients about the importance of routine dental care as a pathway to prevention.

“It was my dream as a little girl to become a dentist, and now I am living this dream in my own community,” Norvell said.

Knight and Norvell recently received their first installment of $50,000, and will receive an additional $50,000 when they complete their two-year commitment of practice in the Appalachian region.

Both plan to stay in the region for many years, and hope to eventually own their own practices.

“I truly love what I do and love the area where I’m working,” Knight said. “Helping those who need it the most is the most rewarding aspect of my profession.”