Elizabeth Fite covers health care for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She joined the paper in 2017 after graduating from the University of Georgia's health and medical journalism master's program. She has written for WebMD, Georgia Health News and UGA's Office of Research, where she covered public health, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, infectious diseases and other sciences. She was the recipient of the 2017 Atlanta Press Club Award of Excellence for investigative reporting. Previously, she interned at the Aiken Standard in South Carolina and graduated from Auburn University.
Erlanger Health System is closer to becoming an independent nonprofit organization as leaders on the board work to develop the charter, bylaws and covenants that will govern the new entity, dubbed "Erlanger Health."
by Elizabeth FitePatients with complex health problems require more sophisticated equipment and medical professionals to care for them, which is why Erlanger Health System is adding a new air ambulance to replace one of its six helicopters that serve the Chattanooga region.
by Elizabeth FiteChattanoogans who fought to have the city's abortion clinic closed roughly 30 years ago said while the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is momentous, there's still more work to be done around the issue of abortion.
by Elizabeth FiteThe downtown headquarters of Blood Assurance has been dedicated to L. Dan Johnson and John Germ, who were instrumental in starting the community blood center in 1972.
by Elizabeth FiteCOVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months are now available in the Chattanooga region, giving parents who eagerly waited 18 months since the first COVID-19 vaccines for adults arrived in Hamilton County an opportunity to better protect their children from the coronavirus.
by Elizabeth FiteRetired blood donor Stacey Seals said he never thought about what it would take to give over 70 gallons of blood in his lifetime - a threshold that he surpassed in early 2022.
by Elizabeth FiteThe U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday to overturn abortion rights will have far-reaching consequences in Tennessee and Georgia as both states have in place laws to restrict the procedure in the event of such a ruling.
by Andy Sher and Elizabeth FiteJim Coleman, chairman of the Erlanger Health System Board of Trustees, will leave that position and take over as the health system's president and CEO effective July 11.
by Elizabeth FiteThe Erlanger Health System Board of Trustees voted Thursday to offer board chair Jim Coleman the vacant position of health system president and CEO.
by Elizabeth FiteSpotlight on rural health
by Elizabeth FiteA Chattanooga bus that takes a mobile CT scanner to test for lung cancer in rural and underserved communities in Tennessee and Georgia has gained the attention of the White House as part of President Joe Biden's goal to reduce cancer deaths by at least 50% over the next 25 years.
by Elizabeth FiteSeveral years ago, an 8-year-old Chattanooga boy was shot while riding in the back seat of his mother's car as she drove through East Lake when a gunman opened fire in an attempt to kill one of his relatives, who was sitting up front.
by Elizabeth FiteErlanger Health System President and CEO Dr. Will Jackson's tenure at Chattanooga's largest health system ended Friday, according to a statement from the Erlanger board of trustees.
by Elizabeth FiteA program that since its inception has provided more than $217 million in donated, specialty medical care to uninsured, low-income residents of Hamilton County is expanding services to neighboring Bradley County and plans to serve additional parts of the region soon.
by Elizabeth FiteIt's been about a month since Dr. Harika Yadav returned from providing medical care to Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border, and the young doctor said the experience not only made her a better physician, but also a stronger advocate for service opportunities in graduate medical education.
by Elizabeth FiteOfficials from Chattanooga-based Parkridge Health System are appealing state regulators' decision granting CHI Memorial Hospital permission to build a new North Georgia hospital — a move that could either stop the project altogether or delay it for several years.
by Elizabeth FiteDr. Tom Devlin, a neurologist who helped bring international attention to stroke care in Chattanooga, on Thursday revealed details about the new CHI Memorial Stroke and Neuroscience Center.
by Elizabeth FiteWednesday storms didn't stop roughly 150 people from rallying to protest the potential for a Chattanooga-based competitor to appeal state approval for CHI Memorial Georgia's new hospital in Catoosa County.
by Elizabeth Fite and Andrew WilkinsAfter enjoying a lull in the three months since the last COVID-19 surge, cases are again on the rise in the Chattanooga region.
by Elizabeth FiteHeather Price tried four different types of formula before finding one that agreed with her 7-month-old son's sensitive stomach.
by Elizabeth Fite