NEWS RELEASE – September 2, 2025
ARH honored with Healthy Communities Award for its Food is Medicine initiative
HAZARD, KY. – Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) has been named the 2025 recipient of the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Healthy Communities Award, recognizing ARH’s outstanding Food is Medicine initiative and its impact in improving the health and wellness of Appalachian Kentucky.
The Healthy Communities Award celebrates individuals and organizations that are breaking down barriers to health by addressing disparities and promoting wellness. ARH earned this year’s recognition for its innovative Food is Medicine (FiM) programs, which promote optimal health, healing, and the reduction of chronic disease through healthy foods and nutrition education.
Across ARH’s service region, Food is Medicine programs are helping patients and families live healthier lives by:
- Providing voucher programs for fresh produce to seniors, children, and patients with diabetes
- Hosting cooking classes in partnership with Cooperative Extension Services, often incentivized with grocery or produce gift cards
- Enrolling patients into medically tailored meal studies in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Food as Health Alliance.
- Offering diabetes support groups that include A1C testing, cooking demonstrations, and provider-led education
- Providing in-facility food pantry boxes for patients in need in Kentucky River and Big Sandy regions in partnership with God’s Pantry Food Bank
- Educating their own providers in the importance of nutrition in managing and preventing chronic disease in partnership with the American College of lifestyle Medicine
- Revamping facility cafeterias and menus to incorporate healthier options for staff and patients
- Partnering with local farmers markets to host pop-up markets on site at ARH facilities
“These efforts are about more than food; they are about dignity, empowerment, and giving people the tools to prevent and manage chronic disease,” said Danielle Harmon, ARH’s Director of Community Development. “We are honored to be recognized by SOAR, and we remain committed to building stronger, healthier Appalachian communities.”
As the region’s largest healthcare system, ARH has seen firsthand the positive impact that access to healthy food and nutrition education can have on preventing disease, supporting recovery, and improving overall quality of life.
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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 6,700 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 and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.