In the past six months, patients who've visited Tennova Hospital in Cleveland might have noticed staff members wearing a pin that displays the quote: "Because we've always done it that way" — with a bold red line slashing through it.
Improving access to care, workforce development and addressing social factors that negatively affect health were the key areas identified in a new state report about ways to boost the health of rural Tennesseans.
The Tennessee attorney general has signed off on Erlanger Health System's transition to an independent nonprofit organization — the final step in the process of converting Chattanooga's largest and only safety net hospital from a government to a private entity under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3).
Cempa Community Care has opened a new dental clinic, which officials said offers comprehensive dental services to children and adults, including those without dental insurance or who can't afford to pay at a typical dentist.
Tennessee's recently appointed top health official said he wasn't initially sold on the idea when Gov. Bill Lee's administration expressed interest in having the conservative run the state Department of Health.
As a government entity, Erlanger Health System's annual budgeting process has long been open to the public — but that level of transparency is set to largely go away once the new private entity, Erlanger Health, launches July 1.
In their last scheduled public meeting as a government entity, members of the Erlanger Health System board Thursday approved the new fiscal year budget as the trustees turned focus toward finalizing Erlanger's transition to an independent nonprofit.
Though childhood poverty in Tennessee has improved, the state saw an increasing number of youth struggling academically while the high cost of child care continued to cripple many families, according to the 2023 Kids Count report released Wednesday.
Children's Hospital at Erlanger officials unveiled the hospital's renovated pediatric intensive care unit, which they say brings much-needed modernization to the Chattanooga region's only facility of its kind for children.
The Tennessee attorney general's approval is the last remaining step before Erlanger Health System becomes a private nonprofit organization following a vote by Hamilton County commissioners Wednesday.
