High school students in Perry County and Hazard Independent have gained access to a tuition‑free Community Health Worker (CHW) career pathway delivered locally by the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) in Hazard. The program integrates coursework through Hazard Community & Technical College’s K‑TECH program with instruction from Kentucky Homeplace, creating a locally anchored training route that students can begin while still in high school.

The pathway is designed so graduates can stack credentials toward clinical programs offered in Hazard. Those credentials can feed into additional training, including medical imaging bachelor’s completion options available on the HCTC/University Center of the Mountains campus. By aligning secondary coursework, community‑based instruction, and postsecondary clinical programs in the same region, the initiative reduces geographic and financial barriers that have traditionally pushed students to leave rural Eastern Kentucky for healthcare education.

For Perry County residents, the new pathway represents both short‑term opportunity and long‑term workforce development. Tuition‑free access lowers upfront costs for students and families, while the stackable credential model allows young people to enter entry‑level healthcare roles quickly as Community Health Workers and then progress into higher‑skill, higher‑pay positions without relocating. Locally trained CHWs can support clinics, county health departments and social services by bridging care, improving chronic disease management and helping residents navigate health systems—functions that are particularly important in rural communities with older populations and limited local healthcare capacity.

Economically, creating a pipeline of credentialed health workers keeps education‑related spending and future earnings in the county. Students who obtain clinical credentials locally are more likely to seek employment nearby, which can help community hospitals and outpatient providers fill persistent vacancies and reduce reliance on external recruitment. The availability of a bachelor’s completion pathway in medical imaging on the HCTC/University Center of the Mountains campus adds a clear route to technically advanced roles that command higher wages and often require fewer relocations.

The program reflects broader policy trends promoting workforce development through tuition support, partnerships between K‑12 and postsecondary institutions, and employer‑aligned credentialing. Sustaining and expanding such initiatives will depend on continued institutional coordination, state and local funding, and employer commitments to hire graduates. For Perry County, the initiative is a concrete step toward strengthening local healthcare capacity, creating viable career paths for high school students, and aligning education investments with community needs.