Sandy Bennett
Sanofi
Job Title: Account Executive
Member of KHC for: Personally for six years; Sanofi has been a member for at least 12 years
KHC Committee Participation: Measurement Workgroup
Sandy’s role with Sanofi as Account Executive is a regional position. Therefore, she has responsibility for the state of Kentucky and covers major payers and integrated health systems. Her role encompasses product contracting and population health within the therapeutic areas of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
What are you currently working on that you are most excited about? How do you think it will drive improvements to health and healthcare in the community?
I am currently working on two very exciting local projects representing Sanofi. First, Sanofi is the only pharmaceutical company to affiliate with the University of Louisville’s Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT). This is a unique research partnership approved by the National Science Foundation between academic institutions and private industry and has national impact. The CHOT research project will focus on access to care, analytics and technology innovation, care coordination, and population health. The three-year plan is to focus on a Type 2 Diabetes Registry for Louisville in year one, Kentucky in year two, and the entire Southeastern U.S. in year three. Sanofi is also excited to be one of the first pharmaceutical companies to work collaboratively with Humana on their Bold Goal initiative to improve our community’s health by 20 percent by 2020. I actively participate on the Diabetes Committee, which recently hosted a very successful local event for employer CEOs to emphasize diabetes prevention via health care benefits utilizing the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program.
What do you see as the biggest threat to our community’s health? How do you feel it needs to be addressed?
In 2016, over 27 percent of Jefferson County’s Type 2 Diabetes population had an A1c greater than 9.0 percent. While this is slightly lower than Kentucky and the nation, it is still unacceptable. There are serious and costly health issues associated with a diagnosis of diabetes such as stroke, heart attack, and amputation, particularly when patients are not controlled. Diabetes is a serious health concern for our Louisville community. There is great hope through the work of the UofL CHOT to identify as many of the T2D patients as possible and provide interventions to assist in controlling their disease.
Why do you think a multi-stakeholder coalition like the KHC is needed in the community?
I have worked in the healthcare industry for over 38 years and specifically in the Louisville community for 34 years. I have seen many changes and one of the most encouraging changes is the willingness for organizations to recognize “it takes a village.” By that I mean organizations working collaboratively to make an impact in our community’s health status. KHC is helping to lead the way by bringing together so many different stakeholders that influence health in our community. Likewise, the Humana Bold Goal initiative is bringing organizations together for common cause. Competition is great, but when it comes to our community’s health, we all need to work in harmony. Thank you KHC for your efforts!
What is your guilty pleasure?
College football
What is your dream vacation spot?
Hwy 30A beachfront in the Panhandle of Florida!!!
