ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Susan Lukwago has been a fixture in Liberal’s healthcare scene for many years, and soon, she will be able to take her work to the state level.
Lukwago was recently named to the Governor's Council on Wellness, and she said the journey toward being chosen for the council began last year.
“Jeff Usher, who also serves on the council, works for the Kansas Health Foundation, and the Liberal Area Coalition for Families has had grants through the foundation, so I've worked with Jeff on multiple projects, and he knows I've always been interested in nutrition and physical activity and all of that,” Lukwago said. “Last year, he sent me a message asking if I'd be interested in applying for a spot on the council, and I was initially kind of hesitant because I wasn't sure how much extra work it would be on top of everything I do in Liberal, but he said he thought I'd be a great fit. So they sent me an application to fill out, which I did, along with some letters of reference, and all of that happened near the end of 2024. Then, in January, I got the official message that I'd been selected for the council along with a few others, and we're representative of all parts of the state and representative of multiple areas of health.”
Being on the council, Lukwago said, is a very exciting opportunity.
“It's really exciting because I live in Liberal, and I've been here for 17 or 18 years, so this is home, and I'm most accustomed to being in the Southwest Kansas area,” Lukwago said. “This is an opportunity to work to help people throughout the entire state, and it's a great opportunity to work with other people who feel the same way about wanting people to be as healthy as possible. The closest I've come to a role like this is serving on the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, and in both cases, it's exciting to have the chance to give input that could help affect the entire state.”
Lukwago added she is excited to be working to help people at the state level.
“My first love is nutrition and I feel very strongly what we eat and drink directly ties into our health and how our bodies function. My hope is to have the chance to give input to a group of people who will also try to make it easier for everyone to be able to have the food and drink they need in order to feel their absolute best,” Lukwago said. “There are so many problems related to nutrition, ranging from people not having enough food to the other end of that spectrum, which is having far too much food. But no matter what the issue is, I hope we'll have the chance to help everyone be able to do what is healthiest for them. Something else I'm learning is how every five to 10 years, the state's healthy people guidelines are released by the federal government, and then the individual states have the chance to make some tweaks based on what their needs are and set their goals. Part of the responsibility of the Governor's Council on Wellness is to look at those 2030 goals for the U.S. and Kansas and how the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) can do everything it can to help Kansans be as healthy as possible with us advising them. That then should trickle down to the Liberal community and other Southwest Kansas communities.”
And with the Southwest Kansas area being rather isolated, Lukwago said she is also excited to be a voice for the area.
“It's an absolutely wonderful opportunity to be the voice from Southwest Kansas on this council and be that representation. I'll have the chance to hear from a lot of different people and get a lot of different viewpoints, and I'll also get the chance to share some thoughts about what has worked in the Southwest Kansas area,” Lukwago said. “I'm a firm believer we can all learn from each other, no matter what part of the state we're from or our background. It's good to be that representation and get some good things started for this part of the state. I feel very fortunate to be that voice, and I actually hope I won't be the last, because I would love to see others from Southwest Kansas be that representation after my term is finished.”
While Lukwago has only been in Liberal since the only 2000s, her journey in healthcare began long before she came to Southwest Kansas.
“My first love is nutrition, so I started out as a dietician in 1992 and doing clinical nutrition at the hospital. But then I realized when you're in the hospital and sick, things aren't the same when you go back home, because you're wondering how to make the necessary changes,” Lukwago said. “I realized I wanted to do more to help in terms of whole-person wellness, so I went back to school and got my degree in public health so I could do more outpatient work, and I've been doing that for about 30 years now. I've worked with health departments, on public health research projects, the Liberal Area Coalition for Families, and many other entities. I used to work for one place full time, but I realized there was so much more I could do, so I've had that chance to work in a lot of different areas and groups. And coming full circle, I now work at Southwest Medical Center a couple days a week, so I'm back to working with people who are ill. But I love it because it's more hybrid work and I get to work with them not only while they're in the hospital, but also after they're discharged and make sure they're okay.”
And all of that experience, Lukwago said, should translate well to her new role on the council.
“My hope is, as we look to meeting those 2030 healthy people standards and help KDHE set the goals for the state, my experience will play some part since I've worked with so many different people and groups and have done a lot of that on-the-ground work,” Lukwago said. “Maybe we could support farmer's markets in towns so people can easily travel and get those necessary fresh fruits and vegetables or provide support to similar programs that will make it easier for people to keep themselves healthy. I hope my on-the-ground work can shed a more practical light on how to actually help people.”
Overall, Lukwago said, she is ready to get to work.
“Since I have the privilege of being able to give this kind of input and being that representation from Southwest Kansas, if anyone has any ideas or thoughts about how to make nutrition easier for people, I encourage them to get in touch with the council or get in touch with me at the hospital and let me know,” Lukwago said. “Sometimes, when you've been doing things a certain way for a long time, you ONLY see it being done that way, but someone can come in with fresh eyes and say 'What if you did X this way?' or 'What if this type of support happened?' and help make some changes no one else had ever thought of. I'm very privileged for this opportunity, and I hope to do the absolute best I can not only for Liberal but the rest of Southwest Kansas.”
How lucky is Kansas to have the input of such a brilliant, compassionate, can-do gal on the Governor’s Council on Wellness. Kansans can expect better health outcomes starting now.