The Trump administration announced it would make major cuts to National Institutes of Health grants. Tennessee gets around $700 million a year in NIH funding. The money goes to universities, hospitals and biomedical companies.
Catherine Sweeney
Catherine Sweeney is WPLN’s health reporter. Before joining the station, she covered health for Oklahoma’s NPR member stations. That was her first job in public radio. Until then, she wrote about state and local government for newspapers in Oklahoma and Colorado. In her free time, she likes to cycle through hobbies, which include crochet, embroidery, baking, cooking and weightlifting.
Report: Maternal mortality is three times higher for TennCare members
TennCare recipients have historically faced higher death rates tied to pregnancy than those with private health insurance, but a recent report showed the gap is widening.
A Trump executive order aims to make lethal injection drugs more accessible to states like Tennessee
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders. One aims to help states like Tennessee secure lethal injection drugs. But that will be an uphill battle.
Lawsuit: Tennessee is breaking the law with long, complicated SNAP food stamp benefit delays
A lawsuit is accusing the Tennessee Department of Human Services of mismanaging nutrition assistance benefits so badly that the agency is breaking federal law.
Norovirus joins respiratory infections in Tennessee’s winter case surge
Flu, COVID-19 and RSV started surging in November and haven’t let up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But an achy throat and cough aren’t the only symptoms to look out for. Norovirus — which hits the digestive system — is spreading throughout the country.
More Tennesseans are contracting HIV through injection drug use
The rate of new HIV cases tied to drug use in Tennessee is surging — doubling over the past few years. Experts say that makes safe syringe programs more important than ever.
Maternal mortality is improving statewide, but it’s worsening in East Tennessee
Maternal mortality overall got better in 2022, according to the latest data released in December. But there is a concerning upward trend of postpartum overdose deaths.
NashVillager Podcast holiday edition: Under the trees
What are your tree stories?
Tennessee is set to resume executions, now using a single drug for lethal injection
Tennessee will soon resume executions, after an Associated Press investigation led the state to pause all lethal injections and redesign its protocol. The Tennessee Department of Corrections will use a single-drug protocol. It will rely on pentobarbital, a sedative that is notoriously difficult for governments to source.
Tennesseans are overdosing at an alarming rate, but the ‘gold standard’ of treatment carries stigma
More than 3,000 Tennesseans died of opioid overdoses in 2022. Only West Virginia and Washington, D.C. had higher death rates that year.
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