Dr. Deborah Reed received the Edge Runner Award
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A University of Kentucky (UK) educator received an award last week recognizing her work within the farming community.
Dr. Deborah Reed, a professor and nurse in the UK’s College of Nursing, won the Edge Runner award from the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) for her dedication to educating farmers about occupational health, safety and disease prevention.
Recipients of the Edge Runner are honored for developing creative models of care that improve health care quality and impact cost.
Reed created the Farm Theater Dinner, an ag-themed performance that includes important health and safety messages about such topics as arthritis, skin cancer and musculoskeletal disorders.
The show’s scripts come from interviews with real farmers, and a group discussion at the end of the 10-minute performances helps guests retain important safety information.
“What we are trying to do with these plays is empower the local community to change their work behaviors in a way that’s acceptable within the community,” Reed said in a UK release Friday.
State farm groups congratulated Reed on her award.
“The Kentucky Soybean Association is proud of the work Dr. Reed is doing with Kentucky farm families,” Debbie Ellis, executive director of the Kentucky Soybean Association, told Farms.com. “She is very deserving of this award.”
The spotlight on Dr. Reed’s achievement is also a reminder for farmers not to take safety for granted, Ellis said.
“Farmers have one of the most dangerous jobs around and it’s imperative that they keep safety at top of mind,” she said.
Farms.com has reached out to Dr. Reed for comment on her accomplishment.