Hopkins County is using opioid settlement funds to expand access to interventional and chronic pain management services close to home. Through a partnership with Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, the county helped purchase specialized equipment that gives providers alternatives to opioid medications when treating chronic pain. Since the program launched in 2025, providers have reported strong demand and a reduction in opioid prescriptions.
In this Q&A, Baptist Health Deaconess Director of Philanthropy Ashley Galvan shares how the partnership is helping address opioid dependency and improving access to care.
1. What need or gap did Hopkins County identify that led to this partnership with Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville?
On recent community health surveys, opioid use disorder repeatedly came up as a topic of concern for our region. Opioid dependency is a known issue statewide in Kentucky, and our rural communities are often at a disadvantage with limited or no access to specialized care such as Interventional and Chronic Pain Management. With Dr. Vishal Bansal joining Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville in 2025, we had the opportunity to address these problems with a variety of safer, more effective options for pain management close to home.
2. How are opioid settlement funds being used in Hopkins County?
Opioid settlement funds have been used to purchase an OEC Elite C-arm from GE Healthcare and a Stryker MultiGen 2 radiofrequency generator for the Interventional and Chronic Pain Management program.
These tools aid in the identification of pain triggers and treatment of pain through alternative methods, allowing our providers to find relief for their patients without depending on opioids.
3. Who does this project primarily serve, and how are people accessing support?
Our Interventional and Chronic Pain Management clinic serves a wide variety of patients, with a large portion of those being current and former coal miners. Some patients have been referred to the clinic by their primary care providers or surgeons, but community outreach and word-of-mouth have played a role in spreading awareness of the program as well.
4. What impact have you seen so far, whether through early outcomes, community feedback, or individual experiences?
We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback since this program first launched in July of 2025. Our providers, Vishal Bansal, MD and Ava Lomache, APRN, DNP, are regularly booked for appointments, with Dr. Bansal recently reporting that he has seen a 30% reduction in opioid prescriptions.
Patients have shared comments saying that they are grateful for their issues actually being heard by the Interventional and Chronic Pain Management team; they appreciate the focus on finding the cause of their pain rather than putting a band-aid on their issues with an opioid prescription; and that they are finally able to get their pain under control and get their lives back. With many having a fear of developing opioid dependency, especially with family history of such issues, alternative treatment methods allow them to receive the care that they need with fewer concerns.
5. What has made this partnership effective for your community?
Our government partners in the Hopkins County Fiscal Court and the City of Madisonville have been incredibly supportive of our Interventional and Chronic Pain Management program since its inception. The funding they have been able to provide allowed us to purchase equipment that is actively making a difference in our community, allowing us to offer services that may not have been available otherwise. Thanks to a strong relationship between the Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville Foundation, the BHDM administration, our elected officials, and advocacy from our health care providers, we’re able to communicate needs within our community relating to health and address those concerns together.
6. What would you want other counties to know if they are considering a similar approach?
Support programs and awareness campaigns are incredibly important aspects of the fight against substance use disorder, but Interventional and Chronic Pain Management and its ability to prevent opioid dependency has been a revelation for us. Our patients appreciate the option for alternative treatment methods without having to travel an hour or more, which can often be even more difficult for those experiencing chronic pain. While funding for rural health care is a concern, resources are available thanks to opioid settlement funds.
- For more information about this program, contact Ashley Galvan.
- For more information about opioid settlement funds, visit the KACo OSF resource page.
