Tennessee’s health commissioner is stepping down, making the announcement Thursday after three years in the role which has become the state’s pandemic chief. On her way out of state government, Dr. Lisa Piercey asking critics to consider more than just rates of COVID deaths and vaccinations when judging her time in charge.
Dr. James Hildreth on continued masking, long COVID and a pandemic silver lining
Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College and a member of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, joined This Is Nashville on Wednesday to answer listeners’ questions and concerns about the pandemic and how the community can better keep vulnerable people safe.
With testing and vaccination at a trickle, a key Nashville site will close at the end of the month
Nashville leaders have decided to close down the city’s central COVID vaccination and testing site. They say demand has dried up, with just a trickle of cars coming through each day.
Nashville purchases Global Mall site for over $43 million, on a pinky promise with Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The former Hickory Hollow mall hasn’t brought significant money in for at least a decade. This week, the Metro Council decided to purchase portions of the Global Mall site for $44 million.
Here’s where masks are still required in Nashville
The number of public places in Nashville requiring masks has dropped considerably this week. The city’s transit agency, WeGo, is the latest to stop requiring face coverings on buses and the commuter rail line.
Lawmakers seek to reduce penalties for HIV criminal exposure law
The Tennessee Senate voted last week to reform one aspect of a decades-old law that makes it a crime to not disclose an HIV diagnosis to a sexual partner.
As a former Vanderbilt nurse awaits sentencing for a medical error, her conviction sparks widespread worry
The name RaDonda Vaught is now well-known by nurses nationwide. Her negligent homicide conviction for a medication error is weighing heavy on a weary profession.
Hickory Hollow joins mall-to-medicine transitions, which accelerated through the pandemic
Hickory Hollow Mall — 1.1 million square feet of retail space in southeast Nashville — was once Tennessee’s largest shopping center. Now, the mammoth complex is joining the ranks of malls making a transition into medicine.
Tennessee will make ivermectin available without a prescription, despite research showing no benefit for COVID treatment
Under a bill awaiting Gov. Bill Lee’s signature, Tennessee would make ivermectin available at pharmacies without a prescription.
Tennessee lawmakers close in on restricting out-of-state abortion pills, telehealth
A proposed restriction on abortions in Tennessee takes aim at telehealth consultations with out-of-state providers. The bill, which is set for final passage, could become much more relevant if Roe v. Wade is struck down.
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