RETAIN Kentucky’s Inclusive Worker Health Leadership Network Report to the Governor - Year Three
RETAIN Kentucky’s Inclusive Worker Health Leadership Network
Report to the Governor Year Three (April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024)
Kentucky’s Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN KY) is a U.S. Department of Labor grant focused on helping people who have non-workrelated injuries or illnesses continue to work. RETAIN KY supports the Commonwealth’s commitment to the health and well-being of its citizens and economic development by providing immediate, customized intervention and supports for workers who experience injury or illness off the job so they can stay at work or return to work. RETAIN KY helps employers keep valuable staff and helps employees stay on the job. RETAIN KY is also helping to address the enduring implications of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of Kentucky’s workforce.
RETAIN KY partners include the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, University of Kentucky Human Development Institute, Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board, University of Kentucky HealthCare, University of Louisville Health, Kentucky Department for Public Health, Kentucky Hospital Association, Council of State Governments, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
A key strategy in RETAIN KY’s efforts to promote multisystem improvement, innovation, and change is the Inclusive Worker Health Leadership Network (IWHLN) This network, comprised of medical professionals, public health leaders, employers, workforce development experts, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, focuses on the coordination of state and local initiatives to accelerate opportunities for Kentuckians to stay at work or return to work.
An inclusive workforce is one in which the unique skills, contributions, and diversity of qualified individuals, including those with disabilities, are actively recruited, valued, and integral for success. It is an environment where the engagement, development, retention, and advancement of an increasingly skilled and diverse workforce is promoted and supported across all employment sectors and levels.
The IWHLN’s efforts align with and support Kentucky’s Employment First policy, helping to ensure that competitive integrated employment is considered the first and
primary option for persons with disabilities of working age who desire to become employed Relatedly, Employment First strengthens employer outreach through RETAIN KY by providing employers a policy incentive to engage with their employees who have disabilities or who may be at risk of developing a disability
Recognizing the impact of health and the healthcare system on bolstering an inclusive workforce in the Commonwealth, this diverse group of practitioners and leaders makes annual recommendations to the governor regarding policy and system changes to promote more timely, coordinated, and effective services, leading to better employment outcomes for Kentucky citizens. These recommendations are intended to advance current workforce efforts in our state, including those focused on addressing workforce shortages
Background to the 2024 Recommendation
2022
• Developed a definition for “inclusive workforce”
o An inclusive workforce is one in which the unique skills, contributions, and diversity of qualified individuals, including those with disabilities, are actively recruited, valued, and integral for success. It is an environment where the engagement, development, retention, and advancement of an increasingly skilled and diverse workforce is promoted and supported across all employment sectors and levels.
• Submitted the 2022 Report to the Governor 2023
• Submitted the 2023 Report to the Governor, with recommendations:
o Increase employer awareness of workplace accommodations;
o Centralize access to stay-at-work and return-to-work best practices for employers, healthcare providers, and employees; and,
o Highlight people with disabilities as an untapped talent pool in our state’s workforce system.
2024 Recommendation
Highlight and leverage efforts of workforce partners and stakeholders, healthcare organizations, and Kentucky’s University Center on Disability* in implementing innovative strategies that advance Kentucky’s commitment to an inclusive workforce, with a particular focus on recruiting, hiring, and retaining people with disabilities.
For example, highlight, leverage, and promote:
Recommendations from the 2023 RETAIN Report to the Governor, to:
• Establish training for employers, including HR managers, to increase employer awareness of workplace accommodations and identification and mitigation of employment barriers
• Establish a centralized and accessible online portal focused on stay-at-work and return-to-work best practices for employers, healthcare providers, and employees.
• Engage a statewide network of groups and programs, in consultation with Kentucky’s Employment First Council, to highlight people with disabilities as an underutilized talent pool.
Current efforts, strategies, and information such as:
● “Inclusive Workforce” definition;
● Implementation of Universal Design practices across workforce and healthcare environments;
● Available incentives to employers for recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees with disabilities;
● Kentucky’s annual Inclusive Workforce Summit;
● Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Hospital Association’s partnership around Talent Pipeline Management; and
● Kentucky’s Digital Equity Plan related to workforce development efforts.
Proposed innovations from leaders in the workforce, healthcare, and disability fields, to:
● Establish a task force to study and recommend physician/provider education and training opportunities, including expanding activities that qualify for continuing education credits.
● Intentional connection and coordination with other relevant statewide workforce efforts (e.g., Council on Postsecondary Education’s Kentucky Healthcare Workforce Collaborative, Kentucky Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan)
* University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute
Activities
In addition to its ongoing work associated with and resulting in the recommendation cited above, the IWHLN conducted the following activities in Year Three (April 2023March 2024):
Quarterly Meetings:
• Met four times: April 26, 2023; July 26, 2023; October 25, 2023; and January 24, 2024.
Recent Efforts to Advance an Inclusive Workforce in Kentucky
• Inclusive Workforce Webinar (June 15, 2023)
• Inclusive Workforce Summit (September 13, 2024)
Kentucky has among the highest rate of people with disabilities in the nation and among the lowest rate of people with disabilities who are employed. Thus, these statewide events highlighted people with disabilities as an underutilized talent pool, suggesting that the intentional focus on the engagement, development, retention, and advancement of qualified individuals with disabilities is essential to grow Kentucky’s workforce and advance its economy.
National Leadership
• Kentucky joined state teams from Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, and Vermont for the RETAIN Annual Convening, September 19-20, 2023:
o Presented on the Inclusive Worker Health Leadership Network
o Participated in an interview about development of Kentucky’s RETAIN Business Engagement Plan.
Action Items
The above recommendations are a critical part of RETAIN KY’s efforts to promote multisystem improvement, innovation, and change. They have been intentionally constructed for relevance and strategically focused on promoting the implementation, scaling, and sustaining of innovative solutions.
In Year Four (April 2024 – March 2025), the IWHLN will continue its work of promoting more timely, coordinated, and effective services, leading to better employment outcomes for Kentucky citizens, including making recommendations on multisystem improvement, innovation, and change that accelerate opportunities for Kentuckians to stay at work or return to work following a non-work-related injury or illness.
RETAIN Kentucky is fully funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration under a grant award of $21,600,000 to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training that will be incrementally provided. This document does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor or the Social Security Administration, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Appendix A
Principles of Universal Design
Appendix B
Universal Design for the Workplace
Appendix C
Universal Design in Healthcare
To view the Universal Design in Healthcare manual, visit https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/ua/Manual_UD-inHealthcare_eng.pdf
Andrew Johnson, MAEd
Angela Guyton, MA
Debbie Dennison
Deborah R. Campbell, RN,BC, MSN, CPHQ, IP, TCHEST, CCRN alumna
Dena C. Sparkman, MHA, FACHE
Dennis McClain, MD
Derek Stern
Jim Tidwell, MD
John Hamm
Lisa Paxton, LPCC-S
Marty Keith, SPHR
Priya Chandan, MD, PhD, MPH
Rebecca Bray
Sara S. Salles, DO
Tukea L. Talbert, DNP, RN, Certified Diversity Professional (CDP)
Zach Morgan
Appendix D
IWHLN Membership
The Council of State Governments, Policy Analyst
Murray State University, Administrative Assistant II
KY Workforce Innovation Board, Deputy Executive Director
Kentucky Hospital Association, Vice President of Quality and Health Professions
Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Vice President of Clinical Excellence
Norton Healthcare, Medical Director Norton Occupational Medicine
Unum, Director, Health & Productivity
Owensboro Health, VP Population Health
Kentucky Hospital Association, Associate Vice President, Workforce Development
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, Clinical Supervisor Manager and Therapist
CHI Saint Joseph Health, Vice President, Human Resource Operations
University of Louisville, Clinical Associate Professor
RRJ Solutions, Executive Director
University of Kentucky, Dept of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Professor and Vice Chair
