Stories about Access

1. 

   Report Card: Dental Health In Tennessee

   Tennessee ranks 38th for dental health in the nation. Here’s how we stack up.

   Report Card: Dental Health In Tennessee: How our mouths affect our health

   Tennessee ranks 38th for dental health in the nation. Here’s how we stack up.
2. 

   The Path to Parenthood

   For Torey Covington, motherhood was a journey that she expected to face alone. “I was 19 and pregnant and didn’t have any support from my child’s father,” Covington says. “I couldn’t even finish school.” “I was young and lost, and I didn’t know where I was heading.” “But as soon as I met my case worker from Baby University, MaryBeth Steffey,  I knew I was in good hands.” Since 2015, Baby University has been partnering with expectant parents and those with young children to create sustainable futures so children can thrive. The Chattanooga-based program focuses on childhood development from prenatal stages to preschool. And it provides mothers and fathers with the tools to enhance a child’s stability while achieving their […]

   The Path to Parenthood: Two women talk about how Baby University helped them realize their full potential

   For Torey Covington, motherhood was a journey that she expected to face alone. “I was 19 and pregnant and didn’t have any support from my child’s father,” Covington says. “I couldn’t even finish school.” “I was young and lost, and I didn’t know where I was heading.” “But as soon as I met my case worker from Baby University, MaryBeth Steffey,  I knew I was in good hands.” Since 2015, Baby University has been partnering with expectant parents and those with young children to create sustainable futures so children can thrive. The Chattanooga-based program focuses on childhood development from prenatal stages to preschool. And it provides mothers and fathers with the tools to enhance a child’s stability while achieving their […]
3. 

   Walking in Memphis

   “Just start walking.” When doctors encourage people to start exercising, walking is often step one. It’s an activity most people can do, it’s easy and it’s free — but it’s not always that simple. “You can’t tell someone to go and walk their neighborhood if there’s no sidewalk, or to walk around the park if there’s no park,” says Jenny Bartlett-Prescott, senior director of integrated health programs for Church Health in Memphis. As a nonprofit providing services to those with little or no access to health care, Church Health sees firsthand how the environment matters. The built environment includes all of the physical parts of where we live and work: homes, buildings, streets, open spaces. According to the CDC, the […]

   Walking in Memphis: How the built environment affects health: Q&A with Church Health’s Jenny Bartlett-Prescott

   “Just start walking.” When doctors encourage people to start exercising, walking is often step one. It’s an activity most people can do, it’s easy and it’s free — but it’s not always that simple. “You can’t tell someone to go and walk their neighborhood if there’s no sidewalk, or to walk around the park if there’s no park,” says Jenny Bartlett-Prescott, senior director of integrated health programs for Church Health in Memphis. As a nonprofit providing services to those with little or no access to health care, Church Health sees firsthand how the environment matters. The built environment includes all of the physical parts of where we live and work: homes, buildings, streets, open spaces. According to the CDC, the […]

Stories about Diverse Populations

1. 

   Chattanooga & Hamilton County Health Brief

   County health briefs offer comprehensive information about Tennessee cities and their surrounding areas. Each county health brief is different and focuses on that county’s biggest health challenges as identified by county and city health departments. Due to the highly customized nature of this information, statistics and metrics will vary from brief to brief. This health brief focuses on the top health priorities as identified by local experts, including the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department’s community health profile. Scroll down to read about health in Chattanooga and Hamilton County or jump to a specific section: Demographics Causes of death Disease Social determinants Health disparities Solutions What are the demographics of Hamilton County? Population 361,613 (2017) Population Growth Hamilton County has grown by […]

   Chattanooga & Hamilton County Health Brief

   County health briefs offer comprehensive information about Tennessee cities and their surrounding areas. Each county health brief is different and focuses on that county’s biggest health challenges as identified by county and city health departments. Due to the highly customized nature of this information, statistics and metrics will vary from brief to brief. This health brief focuses on the top health priorities as identified by local experts, including the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department’s community health profile. Scroll down to read about health in Chattanooga and Hamilton County or jump to a specific section: Demographics Causes of death Disease Social determinants Health disparities Solutions What are the demographics of Hamilton County? Population 361,613 (2017) Population Growth Hamilton County has grown by […]
2. 

   Include Me In

   Have you ever been in a situation when you needed something done but the person you were talking to didn’t understand you, or worse, dismissed your concern as unimportant? If so, did you ever get to the point that you just threw your hands in the air and gave up? Imagine if that happened when it came to your health. “Historically, minorities have not always been treated well when seeking health care, which may result from issues with implicit or unconscious bias,” says Chara Stewart-Abrams, Memphis chapter president of the National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE), an organization dedicated to developing greater minority representation in health care leadership and improving care for minority patients. “When a patient is not […]

   Include Me In: How diversity in the health care workforce creates a ripple effect of improved outcomes

   Have you ever been in a situation when you needed something done but the person you were talking to didn’t understand you, or worse, dismissed your concern as unimportant? If so, did you ever get to the point that you just threw your hands in the air and gave up? Imagine if that happened when it came to your health. “Historically, minorities have not always been treated well when seeking health care, which may result from issues with implicit or unconscious bias,” says Chara Stewart-Abrams, Memphis chapter president of the National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE), an organization dedicated to developing greater minority representation in health care leadership and improving care for minority patients. “When a patient is not […]
3. 

   Report Card: Senior Health

   There are more than 1 million people ages 65+ in Tennessee. That’s 16% of Tennessee’s 6.7 million people. National Health Index The conditions with the biggest health impacts in Tennessee that affect seniors are: Hypertension: 13.5% Depression: 8.8% Substance or alcohol abuse: 8.2% High cholesterol: 7.8% Heart disease: 7.6% Diabetes: 5.9% COPD: 4% According to the BCBS Health Index, the health impact of a condition is how much it adversely affects the health of a population. Hypertension 1 in every 2 Tennessee seniors has high blood pressure. Depression Diabetes More than 25% of U.S. seniors have diabetes. That percentage is higher in Tennessee. Heart disease Alzheimer’s disease 110,000 Tennesseans age 65+ have Alzheimer’s disease. There has been a 148% increase […]

   Report Card: Senior Health: A quick look at the over-65 population in Tennessee

   There are more than 1 million people ages 65+ in Tennessee. That’s 16% of Tennessee’s 6.7 million people. National Health Index The conditions with the biggest health impacts in Tennessee that affect seniors are: Hypertension: 13.5% Depression: 8.8% Substance or alcohol abuse: 8.2% High cholesterol: 7.8% Heart disease: 7.6% Diabetes: 5.9% COPD: 4% According to the BCBS Health Index, the health impact of a condition is how much it adversely affects the health of a population. Hypertension 1 in every 2 Tennessee seniors has high blood pressure. Depression Diabetes More than 25% of U.S. seniors have diabetes. That percentage is higher in Tennessee. Heart disease Alzheimer’s disease 110,000 Tennesseans age 65+ have Alzheimer’s disease. There has been a 148% increase […]