Kidwell receives NNPHI award for innovation honorable mention

Ginny Kidwell, executive director of the Tennessee Institute for Public Health (TNIPH) in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, received the National Network of Public Health Institutes Honorable Mention Award for Innovation at the 2022 annual conference in New Orleans. She was one of nine nominees for this prestigious award that pays tribute to her work with the Correctional Career Pathways Project funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). 

The program gives non-violent offenders in local jails the opportunity to break the cycle of arrest and incarceration and transition into the workforce. The first of its kind in the state, and possibly nationally, the Correctional Career Pathways Project began in Greene County, Tennessee in 2015. Communities participating in this model workforce development program are located in Greene County, Grundy County, Scott County, Roane County and Sullivan County, Tennessee. The project provides funding, leadership, training, mentorship and infrastructure to replicate the CCP program. The most recent projects incorporated adaptations to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is a great honor when a program that is  as community-focused as the Correctional Career Pathways receives national recognition,” said Dr. Randy Wykoff, Dean of the College of Public Health, “Ms. Kidwell is recognized around the state, and now, around the country, for her innovative work with the incarcerated populations of our region.”

A new comprehensive PEERhelp recovery component was added in partnership with Ballad Health to address substance use disorder and mental health issues among participating inmates. In addition to the ARC and Ballad Health, partners supporting this program are the Center for Rural Health Research, East Tennessee Foundation, ETSU College of Public Health, and Niswonger Foundation. 

“Congratulations to local community and business leaders in Greene, Grundy, Scott, Roane and Sullivan counties. They are to be commended for striving to reintegrate inmates as contributing members of society, which will positively impact the social and economic well-being of these communities by redirecting money and social capital and by strengthening families,” said Kidwell.

The Tennessee Institute of Public Health is a lead statewide convener of organizations, agencies and groups to build and foster the collaborations necessary to improve the public's health. TNIPH under Kidwell’s leadership has been funded by local, state and national sponsors to implement a broad range of community activities since 2010.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local governments. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the President of the United States.