Opioid addiction treatment providers in Middle Tennessee are spinning up mobile units to increase access to highly effective step-down medications. But speed bumps still stand in the way truly mobile medication-assisted treatment.
Blake Farmer, Host, This Is Nashville
Blake Farmer is the host of “This Is Nashville,” the flagship weekday show of Nashville Public Radio. Previously, Blake spent 16 years at WPLN News, serving as host, editor and news director. Before a two-year radio hiatus with a Nashville-based healthcare company, Blake was one of the country’s most prolific healthcare audio journalists. He produced stories for both local and national programs, extending the reach of his reporting through a partnership with KFF Health News. Outside of work, Blake can be found running or biking on roads that other Nashvillians consider too busy for such activities. So far, he has always made it home to his wife of 20 years and two children.
Leniency on lice in schools meets reality
Lice is low down on threats to public health — they don’t carry disease, and they don’t jump or fly. But school systems and parents are still grappling with whether to keep kids with lice in class.
NashVillager Podcast: Fisk’s Founding
Who was Fisk University’s namesake? Plus, the local news for August 22, 2025.
NashVillager Podcast: Mourning Elvis’s Mother
Why it’s worth asking about the family of icons, including Dolly. Plus, the local news for August 15, 2025.
NashVillager Podcast: A historic day for vetoes
When did a Tennessee governor put his foot down? Plus, the local news for June 27, 2025.
NashVillager Podcast: Tennessee’s Scottish roots
It’s Scottish, Scots-Irish Heritage Day in Tennessee. Local headlines for June 24 plus an update on a WPLN-ProPublica investigation into the embattled head of a Tennessee youth detention center.
Juneteenth listening recs from This Is Nashville
As This Is Nashville observes the national holiday to mark the Emancipation Proclamation reaching all enslaved people, consider these episodes for deep and informative listening.
Tennessee hospitals are cutting services under post-pandemic financial pressure, according to survey
Many Tennessee hospitals are in trouble as they try to stabilize after the trauma of COVID-19. The Tennessee Hospital Association has published a new survey that finds: Now that pandemic relief money has dried up, nearly half are at risk of closure.
Tennessee Republicans are making permanent a rule to shield businesses from COVID-related litigation
Tennessee Republicans are taking temporary rules and making them permanent to try to shield businesses from COVID-related litigation, along with other COVID-era protections. The legislation is moving quickly, and with little debate.
ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors
Pregnant and scared, Natasha Valle went to Clarksville’s Tennova Healthcare hospital in January 2021 because she was bleeding. She didn’t know much about miscarriage, but this seemed like one.
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