PIKEVILLE — The Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program has announced that Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) will be awarded $2.76 million for a jobs training program and the expansion of the Appalachian Valley Autism (AVA) Center satellite campus in Floyd County.
At the 2023 SOAR Summit, Governor Andy Beshear and a spokesperson from U.S. Representative Harold “Hal” Rogers’s team presented more than $26.6 million in AMLER program funds to support economic development projects in nine counties. Pikeville Medical Center was one of the 14 organizations selected to receive funding.
Congressman Rogers established the AMLER program in 2016 to help coal-producing states revitalize the region amid the coal industry’s downturn. Over the last seven years, he has secured more than $900 million for the program, including nearly $200 million for Kentucky alone. During those seven years, PMC has received portions of those funds to expand access to health care and education in the mountains. This most recent funding will aid PMC in furthering this mission by expanding access to healthcare training opportunities and access to Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy services at its AVA Center.
The AVA Center expansion program will establish a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) training program, create additional jobs and expand a much-needed service. The funding will provide 8,000 square feet for additional therapy services for 36 learners at the AVA Center Satellite campus in Prestonsburg, including an outdoor multi-sensory stimulation area. The in-house RBT training program will train 25 students, resulting in 25 additional jobs.
“We continue to positively impact healthcare and impact economic development in central Appalachia by strengthening and building a competitive workforce. We accomplish this by enhancing health care opportunities and diversifying the economy,” said PMC Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Donovan Blackburn. “In addition, the Appalachian Valley Autism Center has become an invaluable asset to our region by providing life-changing services to children on the autism spectrum.”
As the prevalence of autism in children increases, the AVA Center is growing to meet the need for ABA services. This expansion project will eliminate the need for many children and their families to travel several hours, relocate to accommodate their children’s needs or simply not receive the services at all. Secondly, it encourages Eastern Kentucky students to stay close to home to pursue a healthcare career. One reason the AMLER program was created was to expand healthcare and education access, which aligns with the AVA Center expansion project.
“Once again, this program is funding innovative projects that are bringing jobs to Southern and Eastern Kentucky,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today we are taking another step forward in building that better Kentucky we all want – one where none of our kids and grandkids have to leave home to chase their dreams because every opportunity they could want is right here.”
Each learner at the AVA Center has a dedicated therapist who provides ongoing assessments and evaluations and is responsible for administering the learner’s individualized program. As the waiting list for these specialized therapies continues to grow, so does the need for additional registered behavior technicians. The in-house RBT training program will create new job opportunities while building a local RBT pipeline to help fill the gaps and sustain the future of healthcare in Central Appalachia.
The 14 grant recipients are projected to retain or create more than 200 jobs, train up to 240 Kentuckians annually and serve more than 100,000 people via tourism, infrastructure development or training opportunities.