The next step toward transitioning Erlanger Health System from a governmental entity to an independent nonprofit organization will take place at next week's Hamilton County Commission meeting.
Tennessee's supply of COVID-19 treatments to keep high-risk patients out of hospitals is rebounding following a period of scarcity during the omicron surge.
Some community providers are scaling back COVID-19 testing and vaccination services - at least for now - as the omicron surge looks to be subsiding.
Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said so far the community is responding well to the county's effort to transition Erlanger Health System from a governmental authority to a nonprofit organization, which he believes is important for the system to remain competitive and stable for the long term.
Status quo is no longer an option for the Erlanger Health System Board of Trustees, its leadership has determined, and officials are looking to transition the public hospital to a nonprofit model in an effort to level the playing field with the system's private competitors and remain the Chattanooga region's safety net medical provider for decades to come.
Medical leaders are pleading with the community to help bolster the local blood supply for when disaster strikes as low blood donor turnout persists.
The Tennessee Department of Health will stop investigating the vast majority of COVID-19 cases and instead focus contact tracing efforts on high-risk settings only, according to a department spokesperson.
The weekly average for new COVID-19 cases in Hamilton County is at its highest point of the pandemic so far as the highly-contagious omicron variant continues to infect a record number of residents.
As it begins to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the United Way of Greater Chattanooga has redesigned how the nonprofit determines where to invest its money in what leaders say is an effort to keep up with rapidly changing community needs and evolving donor demands.
A group of Baylor School parents and alumni - who also happen to be medical professionals - are concerned by what they see as lax COVID-19 prevention protocols on campus as the highly contagious omicron variant drives a record-breaking case surge and several other area private schools ramp up mitigation measures.
