Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) and the LKLP Head Start program announced a new collaboration to put family health education and basic medical screenings directly into early‑childhood settings across the four‑county LKLP service area, including Perry County. The initiative will deploy ARH’s mobile clinic to Head Start locations and nearby community sites to offer screenings and follow‑up referrals while delivering practical classes for parents and caregivers.

The program features a range of topics tailored to the needs of families with infants and young children. Planned classes include family nutrition, prenatal care, smoking and vaping cessation, healthy cooking, and car‑seat safety. ARH’s mobile clinic is scheduled to visit Head Start classrooms and community gathering places to provide basic health screenings and to connect families with primary and specialty care when additional services are needed.

Local health leaders say the collaboration is intended to lower the logistical and financial barriers that often prevent rural families from accessing preventive services. By bringing education and screenings to familiar, trusted early‑childhood sites, the partners hope to make it easier for parents to adopt healthy behaviors, address prenatal and pediatric concerns early, and secure timely referrals for follow‑up care.

For Perry County residents, the partnership addresses specific local challenges. Many families with young children face difficulties arranging transportation, time off work, or childcare needed to attend distant clinics. Mobile visits to Head Start centers reduce those burdens by offering services during existing drop‑off or pickup times and at locations parents already frequent. The inclusion of car‑seat safety instruction and healthy cooking classes aims to decrease preventable risks and support long‑term family well‑being.

The collaboration also reinforces preventive care habits that can have ripple effects across the community. Early detection through screenings can identify conditions that, if managed promptly, reduce the need for emergency care and costly interventions later. Health education delivered in group settings can build peer support among caregivers and amplify public health messaging about prenatal care, smoking and vaping risks, and nutrition.

ARH and LKLP plan to coordinate schedules so that mobile clinic visits align with Head Start programming and community events, expanding opportunities for walk‑in screenings at accessible venues. While initial visits will focus on basic screenings and education, the partners intend to track referrals and outcomes to guide future programming and to ensure families are connected to ongoing care.

By meeting families where they are—at Head Start centers and local community spots—this regional effort seeks to strengthen preventive care for Perry County’s youngest residents and to make health resources more attainable for busy, resource‑constrained households.