two women and one man seated at a table with blue tablecloths on it. They are seated in front of the American and Kentucky flags. The woman on the left has blonde hair, is wearing a light blue top and sweater. The 2nd woman is wearing a navy blue dress; and the man is wearing a navy blue jacket and a yellow tie.

RETAIN Kentucky Receives Grant to Expand Services

The UK Human Development Institute Executive Director, Dr. Kathy Sheppard-Jones joins Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman and UK President Eli Capilouto to announce the state has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to boost efforts to help newly injured and ill employees remain at or return to work. The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute will work in collaboration with the Office of Research, Human Resources, and UK Healthcare to lead RETAIN’s implementation.

The federal funding will enable RETAIN Kentucky to expand implementation statewide, address enduring implications that COVID-19 will have on the physical and mental health of Kentucky’s workforce, expand a multisystems leadership team that will advise on policies and practices that promote an inclusive, healthy workforce, and develop pre-professional and continuing education training in return-to-work/stay-at-work strategies.

In a state where roughly one-third of adults have a physical or mental impairment, we need to deploy strategies intentionally that will help us build and strengthen a workforce that is inclusive of all Kentuckians,” said Kathy Sheppard-Jones, Executive Director of HDI.

To learn more about RETAIN in Kentucky, visit kyretain.org or follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Program Contact: Beth.Potter@uky.edu.