The country’s largest Catholic hospital system says its employees must get the shots by mid-November, joining the likes of Vanderbilt University Medical Center locally, as COVID cases and hospitalizations across Tennessee continue to spike in the unvaccinated population.
A New Message From Tennessee GOP Leaders: Vaccines Save Lives
Republican lawmakers are urging more residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A letter signed by 16 state senators touts the benefits of the shots and warns about the danger of not getting them.
Study: Residents Of Southern States Without Medicaid Expansion Have Far More Medical Debt
People who live in the South owe doctors and hospitals more than three times as much as those who live in the Northeast. That’s according to a new study that looked at unpaid medical debts in collections for the last decade and found that medical debt started shrinking after the implementation of Obamacare, as more people were covered by insurance.
Vaccine-Skeptical Radio Host Receives Backlash After Being Hospitalized With COVID
Conservative radio talk show host Phil Valentine has been silent since he was admitted to the hospital for COVID-19. Meanwhile, his social media has been exploding with debate between his supporters and critics since, throughout the last year, the Supertalk 99.7 WTN host has been a staunch and vocal skeptic of the COVID vaccine.
Nashville’s Largest Private Employer Decides To Require COVID Vaccinations, Starting With Leaders
Vanderbilt University Medical Center will become the first hospital system in the region to require COVID vaccination of employees, starting with those in leadership roles.
Tennessee’s Youth Vaccine Outreach Isn’t Changing Much, Despite Dustup Over Consent
Tennessee will resume school-based vaccination events next week after putting them on hold over concerns from state legislators. The state health department will also continue providing the vaccine to older teens without parental consent if necessary, which is what Republican leaders had expressed urgent concerned about.
Gov. Lee Supports Firing Of Vaccine Director But Says He Didn’t Suggest It
Tennessee’s governor has come out in support of the health department’s recent actions that landed the state in the national spotlight — that being the firing of the state’s top vaccine official, Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Fiscus, which prompted questions about vaccine outreach to children.
Republicans Drop Threat To Tennessee Health Department After It Says It Won’t Promote Vaccine For Teens
Lawmakers on the Government Operations Committee met Wednesday and made no mention of dissolving the state’s health department, as suggested at a meeting in June.
Tennessee Encourages States And Cities To Drop Opioid Litigation And Join $26B Settlement
The attorneys general in Tennessee and North Carolina have reached a settlement with drug companies that could be one of the largest payouts for opioid litigation. Now, they have to convince 4,000 cities, counties and states to drop their pending litigation and sign on.
Industry Bellwether HCA Reports A Strong COVID Rebound For Hospitals
The country’s largest hospital company, based in Nashville, released its second quarter earnings Tuesday. HCA has experienced a strong rebound from COVID-19 and is mostly back to treating patients on par with pre-pandemic levels.