Tennessee hospitals have been vaccinating seniors, but only those who are existing patients. Now state health officials say hospitals won’t get any more doses unless they’re made available to the wider community.
Blake Farmer, Senior Healthcare Reporter
Blake Farmer is Nashville Public Radio's senior health care reporter. In a partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, Blake covers health in Tennessee and the health care industry in the Nashville area for local and national audiences.
Tennessee Vaccinations To Prioritize Households Of ‘Medically Fragile’ Children
Tennessee is tweaking its vaccine distribution strategy again, releasing an updated plan Friday that moves the families of medically fragile children into the state’s 1c phase, along with patients who have poor health themselves. Dr. Lisa Piercey, the state’s health commissioner, says these additions include residents of households with children on ventilators, or those who […]
Nashville Bombing Unlikely To Qualify As Major Federal Disaster, Limiting Relief Dollars
Damage assessments from the Christmas morning bomb blast on Second Avenue continues to come in less severe than originally feared, particularly to underground infrastructure.
COVID Was Bad, But In Nashville Drug Overdoses Were Deadlier in 2020
While COVID-19 claimed hundreds of lives in Nashville last year, drug overdoses killed even more people. Fatalities related to drugs spiked by nearly one-third compared to 2019, which was already a record year.
HCA Is Getting Into Mask-Making To Improve American-Made Supply
The country’s largest hospital chain is getting into the manufacturing business. Nashville-based HCA says it’s entered into a new joint venture with a health care products manufacturer to make masks, gloves and gowns in North Carolina.
Tennessee Counties Try Day-Of COVID Vaccine Appointments, Leading To Questions About Fairness
Tennessee counties have been moving to a last-minute appointment system for the COVID-19 vaccine. While being summoned to get a shot has been a pleasant surprise for many seniors, it also has the potential to make the distribution more uneven.
Tennessee Legislature Races To Accept TennCare Block Grant Before Biden Inauguration
Tennessee lawmakers rarely debate consequential legislation in the first few days of a session. But the General Assembly is forgoing precedent to alter how the state’s Medicaid program receives federal funding, and in the process will be altering roughly a third of the state budget before the Biden administration takes over.
Cooper Ready To Force Out Trump Immediately
Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper is among the Democrats calling for President Trump’s impeachment, even if it means a Senate trial doesn’t happen until after he leaves office.
Nashville Launches ‘Standby List’ For Unused Vaccine
Nashville has launched a “standby list” to make sure no COVID-19 vaccine goes to waste. It’s open to anyone who can make it to the Five Points area of East Nashville in 30 minutes.
How Federal Agents Tracked Down Tennessee’s ‘Zip Tie Guy’
Federal prosecutors have released an affidavit outlining how they identified 30-year-old Eric Munchel of Nashville as a participant in the mob storming of the U.S. Capitol last week. He was arrested Sunday by federal agents and charged with unlawfully entering the building and disrupting Congress.
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