Laurel Health Department honors outstanding employees

Jul. 27—LONDON — Dedicated employees are always a plus in the workforce and the Laurel County Health Department recognizes outstanding employees each year for their contributions to their programs.

The recognitions are voted on by the employees with a dinner and plaque.

Director Mark Hensley advocates the awards to employees for the teamwork necessary to maintain the various programs offered to the public. Those include regular clinical visits, smoking cessation, environmental and consumer protection programs for food service and public facilities, general sanitation and on-site sewage disposal systems. WIC, a federally funded program, provides supplemental foods for women and children and includes a health care aspect. Harm Reduction programs, syringe exchange and other programs are also part of the services provided by the Laurel County Health Department.

LEXIE SWAFFORD — 2023 TRAILBLAZER AWARD

This year, the organization recognized Lexie Swafford as the 2023 Trailblazer Award recipient.

Swafford is a Public Health Nurse who began with the health department in January. A native of Corbin, she received her R.N. degree from Lincoln Memorial and is pursuing her B.S.N. degree from the University of the Cumberlands. Her inclination toward nursing came from caring for people.

"I've always liked caring for people and wanting to make their life easier," Swafford said. "I have found the balance between taking care of myself and others."

Swafford felt the calling toward nursing while in high school but pondered the different areas of medicine available for career choices.

"I wanted to be more involved and it was in my second semester of college that I decided to pursue nursing," she said.

Her job at the Laurel County Health Department allows her to do just that.

"I do prevention and treatment of STDs, do TB skin tests, WIC and do educational programs," she said. "I liked the hands-on that we did in college — the textbooks teach you about the illnesses but the clinicals allowed to you to work as a team. You got to talk to the doctor, meet with the respiratory teams and you learned to do a lot of critical thinking."

Her greatest love, however, is working with the children.

"I was always interested in pediatrics. When I started, there were no pediatrics at either the London or Corbin hospitals so I took the job here because I could work with kids," she said. "That makes me look forward to coming to work every day."

Swafford is an advocate of vaccinations and knows the importance of studying the trends of diseases.

"Diseases change over time. Different strains can develop and you have to know which vaccines will work," she said.

Her interest in her job and in public health were awarded with the votes from her co-workers — a recognition that was humbly accepted.

"The Trailblazer Award is for someone whose been here less than five years," she explained. "The other person was here longer, so I was definitely surprised."

With or without an award, however, Swafford is happy in her job and with her co-workers.

"This is a great group of people here. Everyone works hard and we all work together," she added.

BRIAN BELL — 2023 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Brian Bell won the 2023 Employee of the Year award and was also honored with the recognition by his co-workers. Bell is a Registered Sanitarian and has lived in Kentucky for 36 years.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Bell came to Kentucky to attend the University of the Cumberlands (then Cumberland College) where his father had attended.

"My mother is from Williamsburg and my dad went to Cumberland," he explained.

Bell graduated from the Williamsburg institution with a degree in Environmental Health. He applies that degree and knowledge now by conducting inspections on septic systems for schools, public pools and pools in hotels and motels.

"We check for water quality and safety," he said. "We post the safety signs around the pools for lifeguards and other safety measures."

Bell has conducted many inspections in his 20 years at the Laurel County Health Department, and has 12 prior years of experience with other organizations in addition to his current job.

He laughingly talks about not being the most popular person when it comes to investigating complaints about septic problems.

"Most people aren't very glad to see me when it comes to complaints about sewage and sewer problems," he said. "But I explain that it's our job and we try to help them resolve the issue."

In his free time, Bell enjoys spending time with his family — his wife Shawna, daughter Abigayle and stepdaughters Sheena and Kelsey. He is also a sports fan, having earned a minor degree in Physical Education from University of the Cumberlands.

"I enjoy public safety and I feel I am making a difference," he said. "This award is an honor, especially since it was voted on by my peers. Everyone here works hard and is good at their jobs. To be singled out and recognized shows how everyone here helps each other out and that makes it easier on everyone."

Bell said he enjoys working in the school environment and seeing the children of the community. There isn't much about his job that he doesn't like — which shows in his attitude and dedication to making life better for his community.

STEPHANIE MARTIN — 2022 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

It was the yellow brick building on East 3rd Street where Stephanie Martin began working for the Laurel County Health Department approximately 20 years ago.

She's seen a lot of changes over that time frame in her role in the administrative section of the health department.

Her current duties include payroll and personnel, dealing with accounts payable and accounts receivable, ordering supplies and ensuring that employees received their benefits.

She first came on at the health department in a clerical position, where she stayed for 6 years. Over the years she has moved up in the ranks, now holding the position as Administrative Services Manager.

"I have to make sure that everybody gets paid for their time, that their benefits are correct," she said. "They all like me when their paychecks are right!"

She was pleased and shocked to learn that she had been nominated for the Employee of the Year award last year — and even moreso when her name was announced as the winner.

"It was announced in a staff meeting," she said. "My mom was here; she knew and she kept it a secret."

The award is voted on by the employees themselves, which makes the honor even greater for Martin.

"I was honored that the staff voted for me," she said. "There have been a lot of changes in everyone's jobs over the years. Most of the time, nobody likes change. The things we did when I started here, we don't do anymore or have combined it into others. The policies for employees haven't changed that much over the years, though. During COVID, we all got pulled to do other duties and everyone did what they needed to do."

Martin is the first employee that current Health Department Director Mark Hensley hired when he became the Director and his intuition in hiring her has paid off well. Martin celebrated her 20th year with the Health Department in January and looks forward to a continuing career there.

A native of Laurel County, Martin has been a staple at the health department since that time. She worked at Image Entry for four years after graduating from Somerset Community College with an associate degree.

Her mother, Bernice Martin, is her biggest supporter, she said, and has encouraged her throughout her life.

"She's my biggest supporter, both personally and professionally," Martin said. "But I love working here; this is a great team. Everybody is willing to help with different projects going on. This is a great group to work with."

In her free time, Martin enjoys spending time and spoiling her new pet — a basset hound named Cocoa Elizabeth.