Dr. Samantha Brown-Parks answers directly to HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. In the roundtable, she outlined the secretary's priorities, including chronic disease prevention, a bigger role for nutrition in policy, creating a more seamless healthcare data system, and eliminating "waste, fraud, and abuse," among others.
Brown-Parks told WUKY she sees educational institutions as a logical place to start implementing some of those goals.
"The Secretary is really interested in making America healthy again, but as the Regional Director, I think we really need to focus on institutions of learning if we're going to turn out a new workforce that is qualified to really look at the basics of health," Brown-Parks said. "So nutrition, affordability, and access to care. And the University of Kentucky, in my initial introduction to them, really showed signs of being a model program."
The regional HHS director went on to praise Kentucky's state-created rural health transformation plan, funded in 2025's "One Big Beautiful Bill," also known as HR 1.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Sec. Dr. Steven Stack has said the transformation plan was crafted on a fast timeline to meet federal deadlines and will focus on maternal and infant health, dental access, emergency services, chronic care innovation, and mental health. Stack has said it will not be enough to rescue rural hospitals endangered by Medicaid cuts.
"It's certainly not going to plug the crater that's left by HR 1," said Stack.
Brown-Parks said Tuesday she believes Kentucky is among the states using its allotted funds -- nearly $213 million -- most efficiently.