Description

Upon completion of this conference, participants will be able to:

1. Describe how Community Health Worker programs address social determinants of health within rural hospital settings.
2.  Identify administrative leadership practices that support the sustainable integration of CHWs into hospital care teams.
3. Examine how leadership decisions influence care transitions and preventable hospital readmissions.

Presenter Bio

Kati Collins, LISW, LCSW, ACM-SW is a Doctoral Candidate in Social Work at the University of Kentucky, pursuing a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree with a concentration in Administrative Leadership. She currently serves as the Director of Social Work and Civil Rights Coordinator at UK King’s Daughters Medical Center, a rural healthcare system in northeastern Kentucky, where she provides administrative leadership across inpatient and outpatient social work services, post-acute care coordination, and community-based programming.

Mrs. Collins’ professional background spans both healthcare and child welfare practice. Earlier in her career, she worked in child welfare, developing a strong foundation in family systems, trauma-informed practice, risk assessment, and advocacy for vulnerable children and families. This experience continues to inform her leadership and commitment to equity-focused, client-centered systems of care.

In her current role, Mrs. Collins led the development and implementation of a hospital-based Community Health Worker (CHW) program focused on addressing social determinants of health, improving care transitions, and reducing barriers to care for high-risk rural populations. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of social care within medical settings.

Mrs. Collins’ research interests include rural healthcare systems, health equity, social determinants of health, and administrative leadership. Her capstone project examines how Community Health Worker programs embedded within rural hospitals can reduce avoidable hospital readmissions by addressing unmet social needs through systems-level leadership and organizational support. She serves on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity and the Shawnee State University Bachelor of Social Work Advisory Board, contributing to community and workforce development initiatives.

Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing

Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)

Target Audience: This conference is intended for social workers and students.

Accreditation: University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Provider # 1377, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/29/25-9/29/28. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 15 general continuing education credits.

Claiming CE Credit: Instructions for claiming CE credit will be disseminated at the beginning of each session.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding CE credit or to report a grievance, please contact Christina Krantz at Christina.Krantz@uky.edu. For technical assistance, please contact lmshelp@uky.edu.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these presentations are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the University of Kentucky or the College of Social Work. The inclusion of any topics, perspectives, or discussions is intended for academic engagement and does not constitute endorsement by the institution.