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Cabell-Huntington Health Department and the City of Huntington Fire Department Officials Named Co-Recipients of the 2017 Kaléo Cares Award

– Award Honors Outstanding Achievements in Fight Against the Opioid Overdose Epidemic –

Richmond, Va. (February 21, 2018) – Kaléo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, today announced that Dr. Michael Kilkenny, Physician Director of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department and Jan Rader, Chief of the City of Huntington Fire Department, have been named co-recipients of the 2017 Kaléo Cares Award for outstanding achievements serving patients in need.

“We are pleased to recognize the outstanding contributions of two amazing people, along with their departments, for the work they do serving the people of Cabell and Huntington counties in West Virginia,” said Spencer Williamson, CEO of Kaléo. “Chief Rader, Dr. Kilkenny, and their fellow public servants in the health and fire departments have taken bold steps to deliver a coordinated approach to saving the lives of citizens struggling with substance use disorders in their community. Thanks to their combined efforts, and others in the community, the region has seen progress in the fight against the opioid epidemic.”

Huntington Fire Chief Jan Rader, the first woman to reach the rank of Chief for a career department in the State of West Virginia, is widely recognized for her leadership in the fight against the opioid overdose crisis, most recently as a subject in “Heroin(e)” an award nominated documentary. Chief Rader serves as a member of the Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy. The task force takes a holistic approach to the epidemic, utilizing prevention, treatment and law enforcement measures to stem the tide of overdose fatalities in the community.

Dr. Michael Kilkenny, the Physician Director of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, is regularly honored for his dedication, passion, and tireless work on behalf of his community, leading the charge to expand access to tools such as medication-assisted treatment and take-home naloxone for the citizens of the region. Under Dr. Kilkenny’s leadership, the Cabell-Huntington Health Department is proactively advancing public health through strong community partnerships across the region.

United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito traveled to Huntington to honor the award recipients. “It’s sometimes difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the opioid epidemic, but the thing that gives me hope is all of the work already underway at the state and local level to fight it,” Senator Capito said. “I am so proud of all the West Virginians who have seen the devastating toll this epidemic is having on their communities and are now taking action to change things. It was an honor to recognize a number of those inspiring individuals today and to stand alongside them in their fight to help combat the growing drug crisis.”

The Kaléo Cares Award was established in 2015 to recognize individuals and organizations for outstanding achievements serving patients in need. Previous recipients of the kaleo Cares Award include Chelsea Laliberte of Arlington Heights, Illinois, who founded Live4Lali, a non-profit organization, in the memory of her brother Alex who lost his life to an opioid overdose, and the McShin Foundation in Richmond, Virginia, a non-profit full-service recovery community organization, committed to serving individuals and families in their fight against substance use disorders.

“At Kaléo, we are guided by our mission of empowering patients and care partners to confidently take control in serious or potentially life-threatening situations,” said Evan Edwards, Co-founder and Vice President of Innovation, Development & Industrialization at Kaléo.   “We are proud to recognize Chief Rader and Dr. Kilkenny as co-recipients of the 2017 Kaléo Cares Award. Their dedication to the citizens of this community is truly inspirational.”

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