Republican Ralph Alvarado has reentered Kentucky politics by announcing his bid for a congressional seat targeted by Democrats in 2026. Alvarado is a doctor who made history as Kentucky’s first Hispanic state lawmaker but then left to become Tennessee’s top public health leader.
Smoking-focused addiction help would save lives, but it’s not easy to access in Tennessee
Appalachian states have had some of the highest overdose rates in the country over the past decade. But officials have been slow to adopt some harm reduction efforts that could save lives.
Ballad Health’s hospital monopoly underperformed. Then Tennessee lowered the bar.
Ballad Health, a state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, can now be deemed a benefit to the public with performance that would earn a “D” on most grading scales, state documents show.
RFK stumps for overdose prevention in Nashville as Tennessee’s death rate declines
Before his appointment as HHS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cast doubt on drugs like methadone, which help opioid use disorder patients stave off withdrawal and cravings. He touted them at the RX and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville.
Tennessee’s new health chief dodges grilling over dropped HIV funding
Tennessee’s new commissioner of health made his first appearance before a legislative committee Wednesday, though the Republican chairman warned members not to question Dr. Ralph Alvarado about HIV funding.
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