HAZARD, Ky. – ARH is set to transform healthcare workforce development in eastern Kentucky with the launch of a new Allied Health Training Academy in Hazard, Ky.

Made possible through a $6.7 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the academy is a key component of Shaping Our Appalachian Region’s (SOAR) broader $40 million Recompete Pilot Program.

In partnership with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), the ARH Allied Health Training Academy will offer education and hands-on training for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), medical assistants and nursing assistants.

ARH Assistant Vice President of Workforce Initiatives Dylon Baker said the academy will provide career pathways for unemployed adults, ages 25-54, while addressing a critical shortage of skilled healthcare professionals in eastern Kentucky.

“The academy will be a gamechanger for both our organization and for the region,” Baker said. “Those positions – LPNs, medical assistants and nursing assistants – are not just current workforce needs at ARH but are positions that will continue to be in high-demand looking ahead as well.”

Additionally, Baker said the positions often serve as steppingstones for those looking to further their careers in healthcare.

“They provide really good pathways to help someone advance to higher positions like Registered Nursing,” he said. “They can be used as bridges into other programs.”

In addition to providing career pathways, Baker said the initiative also aims to assist people in recovery or those in the criminal justice system who are looking to reenter the workforce.

“When people find meaningful employment, they have a better chance of staying on track and following a good path,” Baker said. “This allows us to offer meaningful employment right here at home.

“We just want help people to better their lives, and we are grateful to the EDA and to SOAR for providing us with the funding to do so.”

The ARH Allied Health Training Academy will be located inside the Hazard ARH Medical Mall.

Construction on the 9,000-square-foot training facility will begin this spring, with classes expected to start in early 2026.

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Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), is a not-for-profit health system operating 14 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies and medical spas. ARH employs approximately 6,400 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $474 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 1,300 providers on staff across its multi-state system. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largst employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia