Cempa Community Care recently hosted a Brotherhood Brunch at the Avondale Community Center to highlight young men and conversations around mental health.

Learn more here >>>

Leaders from Lewis County Government and Maury Regional Center recently met to discuss the feasibility of a 24-hour emergency care facility in Lewis County. They also discussed Lewis County's ambulance service and its current contract with Maury Regional, who provides that emergency service.

Read more here >>>

Check out Katina Beard's, CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, opinion piece in The Tennessean, titled "Health challenges facing Black Nashvillians requires a push for equity."

Read the column >>>

Tennessee General Assembly Updates

The following pieces of legislation are moving through the Tennessee General Assembly:

• SB1/HB1, a bill to prohibit gender affirming care for minors, sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) and Representative Lamberth (R-Portland) passed the Senate last week and passed the House on February 23.

• SB745/HB883, sponsored by Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) and Representative Esther Helton-Haynes (R-East Ridge) will be heard in Senate Judiciary Committee on February 28 and House Health Committee on March 1. The bill seeks to make clarifications to Tennessee’s current abortion ban, the Human Life Protect Act, to allow protections for providers to save the life of the mother.

Tennessee Department of Health Budget Hearing

The Tennessee Department of Health presented its FY23-24 budget to legislative committees this week. Highlights from the Department’s proposal include:

• $7M in recurring funding for the Health Care Safety Net including $5M for the Health Care Safety Net and $2M for a Health Care Safety Net Quality Initiative
• $6.6M for Tennessee Strong Families to promote maternal and infant health
• $16M for year 2 of a 5 year dental pilot program to increase the slots at the state’s dental schools, invest in loan repayment and support the Smile On65+ and Smile 180 programs
• $750,000 to purchase Naloxone

TPCA Member Days on the Hill: Dayspring Health, Mercy Community Health Care, and Neighborhood Health 

During the state legislative session, TPCA is hosting Days on the Hill for community health centers to meet with legislators and advocate for health center priorities. Over the past week, representatives from three community health centers visited the capitol to advocate for health center priorities such as behavioral health and Safety Net funding:

• Dr. Geogy Thomas, CEO and CMO with Dayspring Health, based in Jellico
• Cindy Siler, CEO and Samantha Verdell, Director of Patient and Family Support with Mercy Community Health Care based in Franklin
• Brian Haile, CEO of Neighborhood Health, based in Nashville 

Haven't scheduled your day on the Hill? Reach out to Emily.Waitt@tnpca.org to learn how!

Outreach and Enrollment: Tennessee Justice Center Presents

TennCare Redetermination: A Call to Collaborate

With the end of the Public Health Emergency approaching, the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) is holding a webinar, TennCare Redetermination: A Call to Collaborate. During this session, TJC will share information about the redetermination process as well as their plan to ensure eligible enrollees keep their coverage, including ways they can support efforts to help constituents navigate the process.  

TennCare Redetermination: A Call to Collaborate

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

11:00 Am Central

Learn more and register here >>>

See you soon at the NACHC Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. 

You can still register for NACHC’s annual Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. from March 8-11. This dynamic gathering draws thousands of Community Health Center professionals and leaders from around the country to focus on critical health care issues and hear from thought leaders and top health care officials in Washington. Health center advocates will also visit the halls of Congress to fight for long-term and stable funding. 

Register for P&I >>>

View the conference schedule >>>

Reserve your hotel room for P&I >>>

General Preventative Medicine & Public Health Residency Program

Actively seeking candidates for the upcoming academic year!



The Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Program (GPM) at Meharry Medical College (MMC) is for individuals who want to pursue a career in Preventive Medicine with a special interest in Maternal and Child Health, with emphasis on the health of underserved and rural communities. Board certification in a Primary care specialty will be enhanced by additional education and experiences in public health and prevention.

GPM residents interested in working in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) will receive training in public health, health administration, clinical preventive medicine as well as additional training in maternal & child health. The training offered by this program will benefit providers who work with patients with multiple chronic diseases and other health concerns.

GPM’s desired outcome is to recruit and retain physicians and residents. This program will support physicians who have completed training in a primary care specialty. The intent of the program is to impact health disparities and address health equity across the social determinants of health factors in the state of Tennessee (TN) and the United States. GPM believes that having well-rounded physicians who are prepared to care for individuals and populations is necessary to break the cycle of increased mortality and morbidity rates in maternal and child health, and within the general population.

This program is an opportunity for FQHCs and RHCs in Tennessee to recruit, train and retain physicians in health centers, particularly in underserved urban and rural areas throughout TN.

View more information >>>

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under award number T34HP42130. The content herein is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.