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Appalachian health system sues EKY county over $3M in unpaid psychiatric care. April 9, 2026 12:17 PM Gift Article An Appalachian regional nonprofit health system is suing one Eastern Kentucky county for more than $3 million in unpaid psychiatric medical care it says it provided inmates at the county jail dating back nearly five years. Appalachian Regional Healthcare, headquartered in Hazard and operating 14 hospitals across Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia, filed suit against Pike County and Jailer Brian Morris in December. Summons in the dispute were delayed until earlier this month. The regional health care chain claims Pike County and the jail breached an implied contract and received unjust enrichment by failing to pay a total of 93 inpatient psychiatric medical bills from March 2021 to September 2025. The company says the Pike County Detention Center has paid previous invoices, which established an agreement through the dealings and is enforceable as a contract under Kentucky law. Despite repeated demands, ARH says the county has refused to pay the remaining balances, however. Morris said he has not yet had an opportunity to investigate the claims, but he believes the individuals who were treated by ARH professionals were no longer in custody nor prisoners at that time. That was communicated to the company before it initiated the lawsuit, he said. "To date, it is my understanding that we have received no proof of these claims outside of a demand for payment by ARH," he said. "I am also not sure at this time if ARH ever attempted to properly bill these individuals' health insurance providers prior to making these claims." Under Kentucky law, "the cost of providing necessary medical, dental, and psychological care for indigent prisoners in the jail shall be paid from the jail budget." Inmates are not to be considered medically indigent if they are actively covered by a medical insurance policy. Morris said he is investigating the matter because the detention center hasn't paid ARH for other treatment during or after the 2021-25 period for which the company claims the county is delinquent. "I cannot justify or support the payment of Pike County citizens' tax dollars to ARH or any other entity without some proof being provided that these monies are rightly owed," he said. ARH did not immediately respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment Thursday. Morris, a former Pike County deputy judge-executive, is in a tight primary race to decide who replaces Judge-Executive Ray Jones in 2027. Appointed jailer in late 2017 after former Jailer Freddie Lewis resigned, Morris won a crowded Democratic primary in 2018 and secured the post for another four years in that year's general election. In 2022, he ran unopposed. Late last year, Morris dropped out of his third Pike County jailer race to run for judge-executive as a Republican shortly after Pike County Schools Superintendent Reed Adkins exited the race. Morris faces attorney Suzy Gibson Shearer, who is also a Republican. April 9, 2026 5:30 AM Politics & Government April 6, 2026 12:32 PM Lexington Herald-Leader Austin R. Ramsey covers Kentucky's eastern Appalachian region and environmental stories across the commonwealth. A native Kentuckian, he has had stints as a local government reporter in the state's western coalfields and a regulatory reporter in Washington, D.C. He is most at home outdoors.

ARH highlighted nationally as model for Food Is Medicine innovation. * Special to Appalachian Newspapers * Apr 9, 2026 * Comments Appalachian Regional Healthcare is gaining national attention for showing food can play a powerful role in improving health, according to a statement from ARH. ARH, the statement said, was highlighted as a national best-practice model for Food Is Medicine during the recent launch of the Florida Food Is Health Institutional Procurement Initiative in Miami. The event was part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' nationwide Take Back Your Health campaign focused on strengthening hospital food systems and expanding patient access to nutritious, locally sourced foods that can help prevent and manage chronic disease. The national event brought together hospital leaders, agricultural partners, and federal officials focused on expanding how nutrition is integrated into patient care across healthcare systems across the country, the statement said. During the event, ARH President and CEO Hollie Harris was invited to help lead a national roundtable convened by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., alongside Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, according to the statement. Harris, the statement said, was asked to help guide the discussion because of ARH's leadership in implementing Food Is Medicine strategies across rural hospital settings and communities. "We are honored to share what we've learned through ARH's Food Is Medicine work and the partnerships that have made it possible across our service area," Harris said. "For too many years, health systems have focused on treating the most serious health conditions rather than finding ways to keep people well in the first place. Science and years of research have told us that food is medicine, and as healthcare providers, we have an important responsibility to help it continue to grow as part of how we care for patients and the communities they call home." Rather than treating nutrition as an add-on, the statement said, ARH embeds it into patient care across its multi-hospital system. ARH screens patients for food insecurity, offers produce prescriptions, provides medically tailored meals, and serves healthier hospital food. This approach addresses the root causes of chronic disease while supporting both recovery and long-term wellness, according to the statement. "When health systems take food seriously, it changes lives," said Harris, who also serves as co-chair of Kentucky's statewide Food Is Medicine Initiative alongside Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell. "At ARH, Food Is Medicine isn't theoretical - it has become a major part of how we care for our patients, support our workforce, and strengthen the communities we serve." Kennedy, the statement said, emphasized the importance of improving nutrition within healthcare settings nationwide, noting that quality food is foundational to quality care. Federal leaders also pointed to ARH as an example of how hospitals can lead this shift by aligning nutrition, clinical care, and community partnerships. CMS issued a national Quality and Safety Special Alert during the event encouraging hospitals to align nutrition services with the forthcoming 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and strengthen food service practices that support patient recovery and long-term health outcomes. The guidance reinforces existing Medicare Conditions of Participation requiring hospitals to meet individual patient nutrition needs, maintain dietitian oversight, keep therapeutic diet manuals current, and integrate nutrition into quality and performance improvement programs. During a national press conference following the roundtable, the statement said, CMS leadership highlighted ARH's workforce and patient nutrition strategies, noting that the system served nearly 1.9 million meals across its facilities last fiscal year - demonstrating the powerful role hospitals can play in improving health through food. The event also spotlighted farm-to-hospital partnerships as a key strategy for improving food quality while supporting local agriculture. This approach is already underway in Kentucky through ARH's partnerships with organizations, including the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association to bring more locally sourced food into hospital kitchens, the statement said.