NEWS RELEASE – JUNE 02, 2023
Joey Preast named CEO of Summers County ARH Hospital
June 02, 2023 – Joey Preast was recently named Chief Executive Officer of Summers County ARH Hospital, a position he had held on an interim basis since February.
Preast will maintain dual roles at both Summers and Beckley ARH hospitals, where he has worked as associate administrator since March 2022.
“Joey is a proven leader and has led a number of successful initiatives during his time with ARH,” said ARH West Virginia Regional CEO Jeremy Hall. “His energy and leadership will be a real asset to drive Summers County ARH forward.”
Prior to joining the staff at Beckley ARH, the Fayetteville, W.Va., native spent nearly a decade in the long-term care setting, living in the Wheeling, Fairmont and Clarksburg areas as he worked his way up the ladder to nursing home administrator.
Though he enjoyed his time in long-term care, Preast said his goal had always been to work in hospital administration in southern West Virginia.
“I wanted to move back home and when the position in Beckley came open, it was the perfect opportunity to make that change,” he said.
At Beckley ARH, Preast’s responsibilities include oversight of revenue cycles and outcomes management.
By continuing those duties, he said he hopes to strengthen the connection between the two ARH facilities, which are less than an hour apart.
“It’s important to stay connected,” he said of the partnership between the smaller critical care facility in Summers County and the acute care hospital in Beckley. “So, any time a need comes up here, we can say, ‘Is that something for Summers or is Beckley more equipped?’
“We try to make sure if something else is needed, the furthest the patient has to go is Beckley.”
Preast said he enjoyed his time as interim CEO at Summers ARH and is excited for the future.
“It’s a great community,” he said. “The staff is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to working with everyone and to providing the best care possible for our patients.”
Preast, who played basketball for Concord University, received his bachelor’s degree from Mountain State University in Beckley and his master’s degree in healthcare administration from Marshall University.
He and his wife Kendra reside in Oak Hill with sons Levi and Milo and daughter Noe
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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. ARH employs more than 6,500 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $330 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 600 active and courtesy medical staff members. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.