The wide range of services provided by the Mayfield/Graves County Chamber of Commerce and the Graves County Health Department (GCHD) were the subject of the April 15th Plant Manager’s Roundtable breakfast, hosted by Graves County Economic Development (GCED) and held at the Purchase Area Development District.
During the meeting, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Katie Beth McCord and GCHD Director Riley Beth Willett each shared an overview of their agencies and the services they offer.
McCord noted that most of the businesses represented in the meeting were chamber members and expressed appreciation for their support. ‘Whether you are self-employed or you have over a thousand employees like Pilgrims, we have the resources and capabilities to help your business,” she said. “Our priorities are to educate, support, advocate, and convene. We provide opportunities for our members and our community to come together to network, collaborate, and grow.”
In terms of advocating for local business and industry, McCord said the Chamber was very involved in the recent legislative session. “We went to Frankfort in February to meet with our senator, state representative, and other cabinet members to have conversations about issues that are impacting you and your businesses,” said McCord.
“If there's any kind of legislation or regulation that is impacting your business, please let us know. That is an important part of what we do at the chamber -- we advocate for you. We have conversations with our federal officials and email with their staff regularly, so if something is affecting your business, let us know. We can speak on your behalf with the people making these decisions.”
McCord also discussed the Chamber’s very successful calendar of events, including the Women-in-Business Luncheon, Farm-to-Table Dinner, Annual Dinner, and Holiday Open House.
Next, Willet talked about the wide-ranging role of the Graves County Health Department. “Our mission is to promote the lifelong physical and emotional well-being of our community through the provisions of preventative Health Services, health education, and environmental services.”
Some of GCHD’s specific programs include the “Hands” parenting program, “Get Fit Graves,” and clinical services, such as well-child exams, immunizations, cancer screenings, tobacco and diabetes prevention, weight loss, TB screens, the WIC program for women, infants, and children, breastfeeding, STD and HIV testing, flu vaccines, and family planning assistance.
Other responsibilities include food safety, recalls, and restaurant ratings, mosquito control, hotel and motel guidelines and inspections, water samples, license service animals, swimming pool guidelines and inspections, tattoo and body piercing guidelines and inspections, and emergency preparedness.
In 2025, GCHD’s needle exchange program served 342 clients and issued 35,000 syringes with a 94% return rate. The goal of the program is to cut down on the spread of disease and help keep used syringes out of public places. They also distribute Narcan to treat overdoses and issue drug test strips to identify dangerous drugs like xylazine and fentanyl.
“Drugs are in every single community, and I promise you, they are in every one of ours,” said Willett. “To just put our heads in the sand and ignore it is not something that Graves County wanted to do, and I'm so thankful that they didn't, because we are making huge changes within our community and really helping people.”
Willett also noted that GCHD is one of three health departments in Kentucky to receive funding for a new Recovery Community Center, the Graves County HUB., that will provide harm reduction and recovery support for drug and alcohol users and others who are affected by drug and alcohol use.
“It could be someone you know at church,” said Willett. “It could be a friend. It could be anybody. We're not going to turn anybody away if they have been affected in some way by drugs or alcohol. If they need help with transportation, if they need laundry services, if they need important documents, or food and clothing, we will help get those. If they need recovery support, if they need classes? You name it, we'll provide it.”
She explained they are currently renovating portions of the health department to accommodate this new service and expect to host a grand opening soon.
“These two agencies are critical to making Mayfield and Graves County a great place to live and work,” said GCED President Jason Lemle. “We appreciate the outstanding leadership that Katie Beth and Riley Beth provide and their willingness to partner with business and industry to help us all succeed.”
The bi-monthly Plant Manager’s Roundtable meetings offer an easy way for industry leaders to network and learn more about local programs and projects that could impact their companies. Subjects vary and attendees are encouraged to provide programming suggestions. The next Roundtable will be held in June.
For more information, contact GCED at 270.247.0626.