NEWS RELEASE – May 24, 2024
Barbourville ARH Hospital CEO Charles Lovell Honored Kentucky Hospital Association's Highest Award
Healthcare leaders from across the state were honored with awards from the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) on May 21 at the 95th Annual KHA Convention.
KHA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, was presented to Barbourville ARH Hospital CEO Charles Lovell. The Award is presented to an individual who has given untiring and exceptional service to their hospital, community, the state, and KHA.
Charles Lovell has been a vital part of the Kentucky and Tennessee healthcare landscape for the past 45 years. His journey started not in an executive suite but in the heart of the action – the Emergency Department at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee. This experience as a Registered Nurse instilled in him a deep empathy that would guide his entire career.
Lovell’s dedication to healthcare did not stop at the bedside. He transitioned to leadership with his first of several CEO positions at Perry Memorial Hospital in Linden, Tennessee.
In 2003, Lovell was appointed as the CEO of Caldwell County Hospital in Princeton, Kentucky.
During his time there, he was instrumental in building a replacement hospital to serve the communities of Caldwell and Lyon counties, and the hospital’s Board Chair praised his significant contributions to the hospital and community during his 12-year tenure.
In 2015, Lovell became Community CEO at Barbourville ARH Hospital. Under his leadership, Barbourville ARH thrived – Barbourville ARH became the 2023 Knox County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year, and Lovell himself was named Man of the Year.
Hospital staff describe Lovell as “a servant leader, always present, building bridges with community partners, and pushing them to be their best.”
Lovell has championed improvements to health care through his many roles with the Kentucky Hospital Association. He served as Chair of KHA Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2014 and served on the Small Rural and Critical Access Hospital forum. Lovell has been instrumental at KHA, testifying in front of the Kentucky General Assembly, speaking on behalf of rural hospitals at the Mid-South Critical Access Hospital conference, and so much more.
Lovell was praised by his fellow hospital leaders for his great career, his commitment to healthcare, and dedication to KHA.
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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, retail pharmacies, and medical spas. ARH employs approximately 6,700 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, the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.