Healthcare
Memphis HIV/AIDS nonprofit gets boost from Lil Nas X
Representatives for the Memphis-based nonprofit Relationship Unleashed (RUNL) announced Friday the group has been chosen for rapper and singer-songwriter Lil Nas X’s “baby registry” to celebrate the release of his new record. Montero is the artist’s debut full-length album; he’s worn a pregnancy belly and called the new album his “baby.” Lil Nas is asking […]
Opioid overdose deaths jump in 2020
Overdose deaths in Tennessee jumped nearly 50% in 2020 according to new data from the Tennessee Department of Health. Close to 80% of overdose deaths were caused by synthetic and prescription opioids. Tennesseans living with addiction point to two major factors in the spike in overdose deaths: support systems interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and […]
COVID toll rises in Tennessee’s DIDD community
As the COVID-19 delta strain continues to infect more Tennesseans, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by state programs, and the staff members who care for them, have seen a notable uptick in infections since July as well. DIDD programs serve a total of about 12,500 people with disabilities. At least 1,692 tested positive […]
Texas law sets stage for Tennessee’s next abortion battles
On the same day a Texas law went into affect banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, advocates on both sides of the abortion debate were preparing for impact in Tennessee. Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi is on standby and ready to offer financial and logistical assistance to Texas women who decide […]
Shelby County approves $11 million to boost hospital staffing
On Monday, the Shelby County Commission approved $3.6 million in funds for Regional One Health Medical Center in order to increase the facility’s ability to provide emergency medical treatment. Regional One has closed 21 beds over the last year due to staffing shortages, said Reginald Coopwood, Regional One’s president and CEO. Because the hospital lacks […]
Vaccination rates of Tennessee youth among the lowest in the nation
In Sullivan County, where COVID cases have tripled in the past two weeks, the local health department’s medical director has started to see a slight but notable shift among the attitudes of parents whose children are old enough to get a vaccine. Public schools have been back in session for just over a week, and […]
Tennessee lawmakers want to know if kids in state custody are getting vaccines; DCS isn’t saying
As COVID infections rise among Tennessee children, two Democratic lawmakers say they have tried — and thus far failed — to learn how the state’s Department of Children’s Services is providing kids in their custody vaccinations. DCS bears the singular responsibility for the care and well-being of about 9,000 Tennessee kids at any given time, […]
Vanderbilt to host virtual event about vaccine hesitancy
Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a virtual event August 18 at noon to “offer evidence-based context and perspective to de-escalate current heated rhetoric and dispel commonly held misunderstandings about vaccine development and efficacy. Panelist for the event, Vaccine Hesitancy: the Politics of Public Health in […]
“This is real and this is happening”: Tennessee pediatricians urge masks, vaccines as kids’ COVID cases rise
The pediatricians at Niswonger Children’s Hospital had an urgent message for the community they serve in the northeastern-most corner of Tennessee, where 46 new COVID cases in one day this week — 22% of all positive tests — were among kids under the age of 18. “It hurts me to say that in the past […]
Shelby County funds programs to tackle vaccine disparities and mistrust
Shelby County Commission buckled down on vaccine disparities and low vaccination rates by passing several resolutions to combat vaccine mistrust in at-risk zip codes. “Having that immunity is what is going to get us out, if we are to ever get out of the shadow of this virus,” said Commissioner Mick Wright, R-Memphis.“The way out […]
Commentary: Tennessee plunges deeper into the opioid crisis
Alarming statistics indicate a sharp uptick in opioid-related deaths in 2020. About 90,000 people across the country died from drug overdoses in 2020, up nearly 30% from 2019, when overdose deaths were the leading cause of death in Americans under 50. Tennessee is far above the national average, with overdose deaths jumping 45% in 2020. […]
Tennessee families struggle with state agencies to get home-based care for those with disabilities
MOHAWK, Tenn. — Drama Bryant’s entire life has revolved around caring for her little brother, Jay, who — at 32 years old — requires 24/7 assistance as a result of congenital conditions that leave him unable to eat, bathe, go the bathroom, speak or walk unassisted. Jay Bryant has Down syndrome and autism, suffers seizures, […]