Tennessee’s measles vaccination rate is much lower than it needs to be for community protection, and health leaders fear that misinformation is a contributing reason.
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.
Hundreds gather to protest cuts to medical research funding, crackdowns on DEI
Amid a federal government crackdown on academic and research institutions, hundreds of protesters filled the Tennessee State Capitol steps in downtown Nashville.
Secrecy laws, low regulation and ‘gray markets’ mean Tennesseans know very little about the state’s lethal injection drugs
Tennessee is set to resume executions in May, but the state’s lethal injection drug supply is shrouded in mystery.
Nashville General Hospital CEO resigns amid tensions and an unflattering audit
There are tensions among Nashville General Hospital, Meharry Medical College, and the Metro government — and pressure as the hospital gets closer to the end of its lease.
Tennessee’s new lethal injection protocol still carries concerns about painful deaths
Tennessee has a new lethal injection protocol and is moving to schedule executions. At the same time, there are lingering concerns about the new protocol.
Tennessee’s medical research is in limbo while the Trump administration considers illegal budget cuts
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.
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.
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