NEWS RELEASE – August 20, 2026
ARH Foundation Awards $5000 Grant to Hazard Fire Department to Upgrade Emergency Communications
HAZARD, Ky. — The Hazard Fire Department has received a $5,000 Community Grant from the ARH Foundation for Healthier Communities. The funding will support critical communications upgrades that will benefit residents of Hazard and surrounding communities.
The grant will help replace the department’s aging radio antenna and tower cable, strengthening communication between first responders during fires, accidents, natural disasters, and other emergencies.
“This grant will help ensure first responders have the tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively,” said Leslie Hammer, Executive Director of the ARH Foundation for Healthier Communities. “Clear, dependable communication can make all the difference during an emergency. We are proud to support a project that will strengthen emergency response and benefit families for years to come.”
The ARH Foundation’s Community Grant Program supports nonprofit organizations and government agencies working to improve health, safety, and quality of life throughout Eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. By investing in projects that address local needs, the
Foundation helps strengthen the communities served by Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH).
“We’re proud to invest in the safety of our community,” said Brian Springate, CEO of Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center “ARH and the ARH Foundation are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the people and communities that we serve.”
The ARH Foundation for Healthier Communities Community Grant Program is funded by donors and provides up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations and public agencies working to improve well-being across Appalachian Regional Healthcare’s service region. To learn more or to support initiatives like this, visit www.ARH.org/donate.
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About Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH)
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) traces its roots back to 1955, when the United Mine Workers of America opened the Miners Memorial Hospital system – a network of 10 hospitals dedicated to providing care throughout the coalfields of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Seventy years later, ARH has grown into a 14-hospital not-for-profit health system that serves more than 500,000 residents of central Appalachia each year. ARH hospitals in Barbourville, Harlan, Hazard, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky, and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, ensure that residents, tucked away in even the most remote areas, can access the highest quality of care without traveling hours from home. ARH’s hospitals, clinics, multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores, retail pharmacies, and medical spas boast more than 6,700 employees with a network of more than 1,300 providers, making it the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.