Owensboro Health highlights community investments, announces FY26 grant recipients

The annual event showcased multiple layers of community investment, including grants, employee giving, volunteerism, and systemwide programs aimed at addressing priority health needs. Dr. Jim Tidwell, vice president of Population Health, welcomed attendees and spoke on behalf of President and CEO Mark Marsh, who was unable to attend.

“Our intent this morning is to highlight the many ways that Owensboro Health invests in the community,” Tidwell said. “These include the way our team members volunteer throughout the community, a giving platform through which our team members can make financial contributions to charitable organizations, and the population health dollars that we direct toward very specific community health needs.”

Tidwell said the organization’s approach is guided by its strategic goal of being “woven into the fabric of the communities we serve.”

Laura Chapman, a member of the Owensboro Health Board of Directors and chair of the board’s Community Engagement Committee, said the grant selection process reflects both the needs of the community and the realities of limited resources.

“This process began last year, and we received requests of over $1.3 million,” Chapman said. “Our team took on the challenging task of matching requests with available resources. We love the work that our nonprofits are doing in our community, and we would love to meet every request, but as we all know, resources are limited.”

Nicole Leach, community engagement supervisor, said this year’s grant cycle drew strong interest from organizations across the region. Leach said the review process began last July and involved approximately 20 team members from across the health system.

Organizations receiving FY26 Community Health Investments funding include:

• Catholic Charities of Tell City – Perry County Food Pantry Coalition
• The Center of Owensboro – Community Resource Mobile Unit Tour
• The Center for Addiction Recovery of Henderson – Recovery Resource Club
• City of Greenville, Kentucky – Revitalizing Brizendine Park
• Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, Inc. – Play with Purpose
• Dannheiser Fund for Kids – Constructing Confidence
• Green River District Health Department – Daviess County Access Project
• Junior League of Owensboro – Increasing Hygiene Accessibility
• McLean County Emergency Management Service – Ambulance Remount
• New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services – Somatic Therapy Program
• Perry County Council on Aging – Gather and Grow
• Spencer County 4-H Association – Summer Community Adventures
• Stir-n-Up Hope – Extending Services to Year-Round Capacity
• Tucker’s Treehouse – Creating Healing Spaces
• University of Louisville Foundation – Compassionate Care Dental Expansion
• The Way of Rockport, Indiana – 12-Step Recovery Materials

Project descriptions are available at OwensboroHealth.org/2026Investments.

During the presentation, Tidwell and Debbie Zuerner, director of Community Engagement, highlighted several population health investments tied to needs identified in community health assessments, including food insecurity, mental health, and services for older adults.

Among those investments was support for the Green River Community Food Warehouse, which officials said is expected to play a significant role in addressing food insecurity in Daviess County.

Owensboro Health also directed funding to regional food pantries and invested in senior-focused initiatives as part of its designation as an age-friendly health system. “We are investing by trying to listen to what the needs are,” Tidwell said. “We invest our financial resources as we can, but we’re also investing our people, our time, and our expertise.” Tracy Naylor, executive director of the Owensboro Health Foundation, described the foundation’s role as the philanthropic arm of the health system.

“Owensboro Health Foundation, our mission is to help heal the sick and improve the health of the communities we serve,” Naylor said. “That little word ‘help’ describes the role that we play. We are out in our communities looking for investments of time, talent, and treasure to bring back into our health care system.”

Naylor said the foundation supports both individual patient needs and larger, systemwide initiatives, including a mobile mammography unit expected to launch later this year.