WHI Impact Spotlight: Kentucky

This 2023 county snapshot map of Kentucky members in a subset of our commercial health plan membership shows how physical, behavioral, and social factors affect the overall health of the people we serve.

Average County Whole Health Index

Hover over a specific county on the map to display WHI information about that county. Higher numbers indicate better health.

The pop-up for each county shows the average WHI. Two counties can have a similar average WHI, but their physical (PD) and social (SD) drivers may be different, so these numbers are also included to give a better understanding of what is affecting health in that county. A lower physical driver assessment may indicate that more people in that county have illnesses or lack access to quality healthcare, while a lower social driver assessment may indicate more significant health-related social needs (whether for individuals or their community) such as greater transportation challenges.

For example, counties that are experiencing an increase in substance use disorders within their population may show a lower physical driver assessment even if their overall WHI is in the average range. Rural counties may show a lower social driver assessment due to transportation barriers or lack of access to nutritious food.

For privacy purposes, any areas or filters containing fewer than 30 members are not displayed and shown in white.

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Rooted in our unwavering commitment to improve the health outcomes of all Kentuckians, we must have a deep understanding of the many factors that influence health far beyond the clinical setting. Healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all, and the social drivers of health affect every community differently. That’s why we’ve introduced the WHI, because it can provide a more comprehensive view of the community’s health and suggest a path to help improve it.”

Kennan Wethington

President, Elevance Health-affiliated plan in Kentucky

A Closer Look at Kentucky

The WHI measures the overall health of a state’s residents. It can numerically validate information that may be only anecdotally known about social drivers of health, and as a result, identify actions that may be taken to improve health. For example:

While Kentucky's statewide WHI averages (WHI 49, PD 50, SD 48) are only slightly below the national averages, there are significant differences when comparing the state's largest metropolitan and rural areas.
Areas of Northern Kentucky, including the counties in the Louisville metropolitan area (WHI 57, PD 52, SD 62), show higher well-being according to WHI, and there is room for improvement in the 54 Appalachian counties (WHI 41, PD 48, SD 33).
Kentucky's WHI story identifies an urban/rural imbalance not unlike those found in other states.

Kentucky’s WHI reveals every community experiences challenges to health, whether they are physical, behavioral, or social, and the WHI can help identify the ideal opportunities to address them.

Elevance Health-affiliated plans can also use the WHI at a more granular level to improve member health outcomes in Kentucky. Leaning on established partnerships with our network of community-based organizations, we can support our members’ health more holistically.

*“PD” stands for physical drivers of health, and it encompasses the factors that typically go into measuring health, such as presence of illness, whether a person has access to and uses the healthcare system, care for chronic illnesses, and whether a person gets regularly tested for illnesses. The “SD” stands for the social drivers of health that have traditionally been left out of health measurement or given less importance, such as where someone lives, their employment situation, the ability to get nutritious food, and whether they have transportation. These factors make up the Whole Health Index and work together to gauge overall health.

WHI In Action: Community Partnerships

With the WHI helping to guide our understanding about what is most needed in a community, Elevance Health-affiliated plans continue to listen to and partner with local organizations to better meet those needs. The following are examples of how Elevance Health has helped communities address health-related social needs in Kentucky.

Checking for Skin Cancer in Rural Farming Communities

People living in rural farming communities tend to have a higher risk of skin cancer. The Elevance Health-affiliated plan in Kentucky has partnered with the University of Louisville for 35 years to conduct free skin cancer screenings at the Kentucky State Fair.

The Kentucky Cancer Program (an affiliate of University of Louisville Health Brown Cancer Center and the University of Kentucky Lucille Parker Markey Cancer Center) assessed nearly 300 people for skin cancer at the 2023 fair. Additionally, more than 3,000 fairgoers learned about the types of skin cancer, the importance of sun safety, proper use of sunscreen, and how to check for skin cancers.

Establishing a Virtual Maternity and Neonatal Care Program

Improving access to pregnancy and postpartum care via video, telephone and digital chat, Pomelo Care provides clinical services and support to eligible Elevance Health-affiliated members in Kentucky. The program enables care teams to continuously monitor a member’s health and pregnancy in order to address physical, behavioral, and social factors before they lead to or exacerbate poor health outcomes. This comprehensive program supports families with information about doula care, feeding an infant, counseling on birth spacing, birth planning, and preparing a home for an infant. It also helps guide members to benefits and social services if needed. With 24/7 virtual care teams that respond in less than seven minutes on average, nearly 60% of the care provided by Pomelo happens outside traditional clinic hours. More than 500 members have tried Pomelo since it launched in January 2024, and participants report their satisfaction rates at 4.9 out of 5 or better.

How the WHI is Calculated

The WHI includes not only members who live in the displayed state and receive health benefits coverage from an Elevance Health-affiliated health plan, but also members who live in the displayed state and who receive health benefits coverage through employers headquartered in other states in which Elevance Health-affiliated health plans are offered.

Learn more about WHI Methodology