HCA Healthcare has scheduled its first national "Crush the Crisis" opioid take back day this Saturday with 65 HCA Healthcare facilities partnering with local law enforcement agencies to collect unused and expired prescription medications in 15 states.
In Chattanooga, Parkridge Medical Center at 2333 McCallie Avenue is teaming up with the Hamilton County Coalition, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Chattanooga police department to collect and dispose of unused medications from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
"Opioid addiction is a growing crisis not only in Hamilton County, but across our nation," said Dr. Timothy M. Grant, chief medical officer of Parkridge Health System. "Our goal for 'Crush the Crisis' is to raise awareness of the dangers of opioid addiction and assist our community in the proper disposal of these medications."
In 2018, HCA Healthcare's TriStar Division, headquartered in Nashville, hosted the first "Crush the Crisis" event. More than 224 pounds of medication, equivalent to over 100,000 doses, were anonymously collected across eight hospitals.
"We were excited about the success of our TriStar Division's take back day last year and knew that with HCA Healthcare's scale, we could make an even greater impact by expanding this program to more of the communities we serve," said Dr. Michael Schlosser, vice president of clinical excellence and surgical services at HCA Healthcare.
Gas prices drop to 6-month low
Gasoline prices fell last week for the seventh consecutive week, cutting prices at one Speedway station on Highway 58 in Chattanooga Tuesday to only $1.95 a gallon and reducing gas prices below $2 a gallon at eight stations in Cleveland, Tennessee.
The average price of regular gasoline in Chattanooga fell another 2.6% in the past week to $2.13 a gallon - the cheapest price for fuel in nearly six months, according to surveys by GasBuddy.com. In nearby Cleveland - one of the five cheapest cities for gasoline in America - the average price of regular fell another penny a gallon last week to $2.06 a gallon.
Gas prices in Chattanooga are 18.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and 34.6 cents per gallon below the prices of year ago. Chattanooga motorists continue to enjoy lower prices than most of America with local prices averaging 43 cents a gallon less than the U.S. average.
Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said he expect prices to drop even more as the summertime driving season ends.
"Heading into the fall, it's nearly guaranteed that gas prices will continue to fall as we switch back to cheaper winter gasoline and demand plummets, especially as Hurricane Dorian shuts down the Southeast," DeHaan said.
Chattanooga rents up 2.4% in past year
The median rent of a two-bedroom apartment in Chattanooga rose 2.4% in the past year, rising faster than the both the state and national average gain in the past year. But local rents for two-bedroom apartments remained 22.2% below the national average, according to a new survey released by the online rental service Apartment List.
Chattanooga's median two-bedroom rent rose during July by 0.3% - the eighth consecutive month of increases - to a monthly rate of $927, or $264 a month less than the U.S. average. Median rents in Chattanooga stand at $745 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Factories shrink amid trade wars
The U.S.-China trade war and slower global growth are weighing on the U.S. economy, reducing factory output in August for the first time in three years.
A survey by the Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, on Tuesday showed that factory production and new orders fell sharply last month and are now shrinking. U.S. manufacturers also cut jobs, the survey found. The data has fueled concerns that the broader U.S. economy is weakening.
Other recent data has shown factory output is decreasing in Europe and much of Asia, in large part because of the U.S-China trade fight. That has weakened global demand for U.S. exports. Manufacturing activity is declining in 17 out of 30 countries surveyed by the consulting firm IHS Markit.
More than half of the public comments from companies surveyed by ISM pointed to the economic uncertainty as a drag on their businesses.
The ISM's manufacturing index slid to 49.1 last month, from 51.2 in July. That's the lowest reading issued since January 2016. Any reading below 50 signals a contraction in the sector.
While consumer spending in the U.S. has remained strong, the deterioration in U.S. manufacturing could slow job growth and weaken the economy.
Tesla on autopilot during truck crash
A government report says the driver of a Tesla that slammed into a firetruck near Los Angeles last year was using the car's Autopilot system when a vehicle in front of him suddenly changed lanes and he didn't have time to react.
The National Transportation Safety Board says the driver never saw the parked truck and didn't brake. Apparently the Model S didn't brake either.
The report raises further questions about the effectiveness of Tesla's system, which was in operation before several other crashes including two fatalities in Florida and one in Silicon Valley. Tesla warns drivers that the system is not fully autonomous and drivers must be ready to intervene.
The NTSB report didn't state a cause of the crash. The agency will issue a final report Wednesday.