Healthcare
University of Tennessee Health Science Center expands pharmacy program footprint
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center plans to open Nashville and Knoxville campuses for its College of Pharmacy beginning in Fall 2023. Courses will be open to a limited number of first-year pharmacy students to begin their four-year training at either campus. Presently, all pharmacy students must spend their first semester on the flagship […]
Here’s when drug prices will start to decrease for Medicare recipients
Starting next month, a $35 cap on insulin prices will go into effect for millions of Medicare recipients. The lower pricing is one of the first of several policy measures Americans will see in the coming months and years under the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in August. The bill also requires pharmaceutical companies […]
No more empty seats at our holiday tables
Where I live, the seasons change fast. We’ve barely put away our jack-o’-lanterns in Kansas City when a cold wind blows in from the prairie, bringing down leaves — and soon after that, ice storms and snow. But no matter how cold it gets, we always look forward to seeing family and friends over the […]
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis catches flak from ACLU for transgender policies
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include response from Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare.) The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee is taking Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) in Memphis to task for canceling gender affirmation surgery for a 19-year-old patient. According to the ACLU, Chris Evans was notified days before a scheduled surgery that […]
Department of Children’s Services housing children–many disabled–in hospitals for 8+ months
Children taken into the custody of the Department of Children’s Services are spending upwards of eight months in hospital beds across Tennessee because the agency has nowhere else to put them. The children typically land in DCS custody after being removed from homes on allegations of abuse or neglect and often carry the dual weight […]
Thousands of veterans deluge VA with claims for toxic exposure benefits, health care
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is processing claims at the fastest rate in its history, hoping to avoid a significant backlog as hundreds of thousands of veterans apply for health care and benefits under the landmark toxic exposure law Congress passed earlier this year. The day after President Joe Biden signed the […]
Abortion legislation pending to provide exceptions, save life of the mother
Just months after one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws took effect in Tennessee, Republican lawmakers are considering bills to provide exceptions, including for saving the life of the mother in a deadly pregnancy. State Sens. Ferrell Haile and Rusty Crowe both confirmed to the Tennessee Lookout they are exploring legislation that would alter […]
Vanderbilt Medical experts: Climate change affects health
An increase in auto-inflammatory diseases, skin conditions and even cancer may result from creeping global climate change, healthcare professionals said during a Monday seminar hosted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center as part of a series on health equity. “I think it’s important to take a step back and just acknowledge that climate change impacts every […]
National study reports decline in abortions following Dobbs decision
A new national study has tracked the precipitous decline in the number of abortions performed in many states — including Tennessee — in the weeks and months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In Tennessee, approximately 1,180 abortions were performed in April 2022. By July the number had dropped to 280; in […]
Youth Villages offers in-home counseling to children and families with mental health issues
Nine-year-old Vega was nearing the end of her counseling sessions with Youth Villages, a non-profit organization helping families with troubled children. Vega and her younger sister had always had difficulty making friends and tended to stick with one another. When the pandemic began and schools shut down, families were forced behind closed doors. Daily patterns […]
AG opinion: Disposal of human embryos not transferred to uterus doesn’t violate law
The disposal of fertilized human embryos that haven’t been transferred to a woman’s uterus does not violate the state’s Human Life Protection Act and isn’t punishable as a “criminal abortion,” according to the Tennessee attorney general. The state’s new law, which took effect in August after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, applies […]
Unsealed documents identify man behind arson, shooting at Knoxville Planned Parenthood
Two weeks after traveling to the U.S. Capitol to participate in the Jan. 6 insurrection, a Tennessee man fired into the door of a Planned Parenthood clinic under construction in Knoxville. Less than a year later, he burned the clinic down. Federal court documents unsealed Monday identify Mark Thomas Reno as the man authorities say […]