About Hannah Edelen

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So far Hannah Edelen has created 57 blog entries.

The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission Awards Funds for Prevention and Recovery

KYA staff attended the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission announcement on March 27th in Louisville. At the end of March, the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission approved more than $19.8 million in new funding across the Commonwealth – investments that reflect a powerful alignment between values and action in Kentucky’s ongoing response to the opioid epidemic.  This latest cycle included two core funding opportunities: one focused on prevention efforts and the other on [...]

By |2025-04-25T10:09:03-04:00April 21st, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|

Youth Voices Leading the Charge: Insights from Substance Use Prevention Focus Groups

Last fall, Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA), through the Bloom Kentucky initiative, conducted six focus groups across the Commonwealth to elevate youth perspectives in shaping the Attorney General’s youth substance use prevention campaign, “Better Without It”. With participation from 70 middle and high school students, we engaged young people from Mayfield, Springfield, Louisville, Hazard, and Covington, while a virtual focus group connected youth from Shelby, Warren, Taylor, and Boyle Counties. These conversations—held both in-person and virtually—provided [...]

By |2025-03-13T16:03:10-04:00March 13th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health|

Positive Childhood Experiences: Feeling a sense of belonging in high school

Did you know that positive experiences in childhood can shape lifelong resilience and well-being? These moments, known as Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), create a strong foundation for emotional and social development. While Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) focus on difficulties and trauma, PCEs emphasize the relationships, environments, and opportunities that nurture a child’s growth. In the Bloom Kentucky blog series, we explore how fostering these positive experiences can support children across the Bluegrass. Today, we’re [...]

By |2025-02-26T17:09:57-05:00February 26th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Weathering the Storm: Adverse Climate Experiences and Resilience in Kentucky

Many moons ago, before I was born, and when my brother was just a little boy – the sky one day turned the color purple and in moments, the wind picked up and my family found themselves huddled under an old pick-up truck praying that the wind would subside. That day a tornado hit my home lane of Hillsboro and turned my family’s single-wide sideways. To this day, whenever the wind picks up, my father’s [...]

Bloom Kentucky Announces 2025 State Policy Priorities

The Kentucky General Assembly gaveled in this snowy week for the 2025 Regular Legislative Session. While this year is a non-budget session, it presents critical opportunities to advance legislative items that can help mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and foster positive outcomes for families and children across the Commonwealth. Bloom Kentucky is a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across the Commonwealth focused on statewide policy changes and budget investments that aim to prevent and [...]

By |2025-01-08T10:18:01-05:00January 8th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Blooming Together: Reflecting on 2024 and Planting Seeds for Kentucky’s Future

It’s hard to believe that 2024 is coming to a close. This year, Bloom Kentucky traveled many miles, hosted a number of conversations, advocated for policy to mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and has worked to cultivate a Commonwealth where every kid and family can flourish. As we look back on this year, Bloom Kentucky has accomplished some major milestones. Cultivating Collaboration and Collective Vision for Legislative Impact By hosting monthly Bloom Policy Team meetings [...]

By |2024-12-31T11:22:57-05:00December 31st, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Bloom Kentucky Webinar with KYOAAC Leaders: Harnessing Opioid Settlement Funds for Lasting Impact

EXTRA EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission is about to release their NOFOs and we are going to SHOUT IT! (Why? Because we want YOU to harness these funds to make a lasting impact!) Well if that didn’t grab your attention, hopefully an exciting webinar featuring special guests from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, Executive Director Chris Evans and Deputy Director Jessie Halladay, will!  Bloom Kentucky hosted the webinar on [...]

By |2024-12-18T17:50:19-05:00November 25th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Amendment 2: Perspectives, History, & a Little Nuance

Co-authored by Ellen Ward, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates In the heart of the Bluegrass State, the debate about Amendment 2 is heating up as we approach Election Day on November 5th, raising important questions about access, equity, and the future of education for Kentucky’s students. Amendment 2, while framed as a school choice measure, essentially puts it to Kentucky voters to grant legislative authority to explore what funding outside the public school system would [...]

By |2024-10-24T10:54:34-04:00October 24th, 2024|Blog, Education|

Nurturing Positive Childhood Experiences: A Campaign to Strengthen Kentucky’s Future

In the 1990s, groundbreaking research through the Landmark Study of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) opened our eyes to the profound impact early negative experiences have on lifelong health, well-being, and social outcomes. For many, these findings were a wake-up call—showing that childhood adversity could contribute to a cycle of trauma that could echo through generations.  But with greater understanding came a hopeful message: adversity is a fact, but it is not fate. Fast forward [...]

By |2024-11-07T11:00:01-05:00October 10th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky|

Planting Seeds for Youth Substance Use Prevention

One of my favorite quotes is: "Legacy. What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you may never get to see." This particular iteration is from Hamilton, but you’ve likely encountered a variation of this quote either biblically or from someone in your life. This idea perfectly encapsulates the bold and forward-thinking action taken by Attorney General Russell Coleman in the recent meeting with the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. During the meeting, [...]

By |2024-09-11T13:58:12-04:00September 11th, 2024|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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