Beyond the Doctor’s Office: ARH Brings Healthcare into Johnson County Schools, Expanding Access for Students and Families

NEWS RELEASE - August 25, 2026

Beyond the Doctor's Office: ARH Brings Healthcare into Johnson County Schools, Expanding Access for Students and Families

Paintsville, KY -A child who wakes up feeling sick doesn't always have to leave school for a doctor's appointment. A student who needs behavioral health support can connect with a provider without leaving the school building. And for hundreds of young athletes preparing for a new season, getting a required sports physical didn't mean another appointment for parents to fit into an already busy summer.

Across Johnson County, Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) is bringing healthcare directly to students through a growing partnership with Johnson County Schools and Paintsville Independent Schools - at no cost to families.

"ARH has provided school nursing and telehealth services since assuming ownership of Paintsville ARH in 2021. Since then, we have continued to grow the program, adding school nurses at two Johnson County schools as well as an athletic trainer for Paintsville Independent," said Kathy Stumbo, Paintsville ARH CEO. "It is a significant investment in the health and well-being of our students and our community."

That investment was especially visible this summer as ARH providers offered free sports physicals for area students. Across events held for Johnson County Schools and Paintsville Independent Schools, over 400 student-athletes received the physicals they needed to participate in school sports - without the cost or scheduling challenges of a separate medical appointment.

But ARH's presence in local schools extends well beyond the start of athletic season.

During the 2025-2026 school year, approximately 60 percent of Johnson County Schools students were enrolled in ARH's school telehealth program. The program provided 873 telehealth visits during the year, including 634 student visits and 239 visits for school employees.

At Paintsville Independent Schools, the program provided another 109 visits - 99 for students and 10 for staff.

Through school-based telehealth, students can be evaluated by an ARH provider while at school, helping families access care without having to arrange transportation, leave work or take their child out of school for an appointment.

For students at Johnson Central High School, that access also includes behavioral health care. ARH offers telehealth-based medication management and psychotherapy, connecting students with ARH behavioral health providers in a familiar and convenient setting.

And sometimes improving health doesn't begin with a doctor's visit at all.

Throughout the school year, ARH teams also visit Johnson County Schools to give students hands-on opportunities to learn skills and habits that can help them stay healthy now and in the future.

For younger students, that might mean learning why washing their hands and brushing their teeth matter. Older students can participate in programs addressing tobacco and vaping, the effects of sugary and highly caffeinated drinks, healthy relationships, stroke awareness and hands-only CPR.

The topics change with students' ages, but the goal remains the same - giving young people practical health information they can use in their everyday lives.

"Student health and student success go hand in hand," said Roy Milwee, ARH Chief Ambulatory Officer. "That's why ARH decided to meet students where they are - in their schools - rather than asking families to find the time and transportation to come to us. It's a small shift in approach that can make a big difference for Johnson County families."

As students return to classrooms for another school year, ARH will continue working alongside local schools to make healthcare and health education easier to access - whether that means a nurse down the hall, a provider on a telehealth screen or a lesson that gives a student the knowledge to make a healthier choice.

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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.