Brain Links is sharing a brief set of resources with partners as part of Tennessee Disability Coalition’s Tennessee Brighter Futures (TBF) Collaborative. The mission of TBF is Building brighter futures for Tennesseans by improving how systems of support collaborate to identify, educate and serve people with co-occurring needs.

The Collaborative meets every other month to learn about the intersections between brain injury and other systems of support and have a speaker from one of the systems present to our group. We learn more from each system as we go and we actively exchange resources like infographics, websites, screening tools and training to share to support one another and ultimately, better support those we serve.  

Rural Health Day on the Hill 

RHA members and staff traveled to Nashville for the Rural Health Association's Day on the Hill March 7th, 2023. While there, RHA met with several members of Tennessee's legislative branch to talk Rural Health Workforce, Rural Health Clinic Modernization, and Maternal Health. 

A special thanks to the following offices for meeting with us:   

Congratulations to Jalynn Burress, Calandra Traylor, Errion Bells, and Adrienne Williams, who became Certified Licensed Phlebotomist in the month of September. They attended the phlebotomy course at Professional Allied Health, LLC in Memphis. The participants were referred by Kimberly Burse, Staff Development Coordinator, at Pine Meadows Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Bolivar, TN. They have been working with Maddy Rymer and Patty Lane, workforce development staff at the Rural Health Association of TN. 

Delta Regional Authority grant funding made it possible for the RHA workforce team to provide supportive services and case management support for the past six months.  Employees are encouraged to gain additional certifications and credentials along their healthcare journey.

The following statement is from STLT Policy & Public Health Partnerships in regards to under 5 year old vaccinations:

On Saturday, June 18^th, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation to expand COVID-19 vaccination to children younger than 5 years of age. This decision now universally recommends COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, paving the way for about 20 million children in this age group to get vaccinated and allowing providers to begin vaccinating with either the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as soon as possible.

Registration for this event is closed. 

Join us on May 17th from 9:00am-2:00pm ET at Bishop Hall at East Tennessee State University as we partner with ETSU Rural and Community Programs and Coordinated School Health to bring you RHA of TN's East Tennessee Regional Event: "Rural Resilience: Strengthening Restoration through Partnerships and Collaboration."

General Preventive Medicine & Public Health Residency Program

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.

GetCovered Tennessee, a healthcare access program of Family and Children’s Service, is a great resource here in Tennessee! They are the state grantee for connecting uninsured Tennesseans with health insurance through TNCARE/CoverKids/Affordable Care Act. FCS is a non-profit offering free healthcare access service in all 95 Tennessee counties, and their services are free of charge. In addition to enrollment, they also provide educational training on TNCARE/Coverkids/Affordable Care Act or Health Assist Safety net programs, such as how to use your insurance coverage and what the insurance terms mean. 

GetCoveredTenn is a non-profit program providing free health insurance enrollment and healthcare advice to all Tennesseans. GetCoveredTenn has a team of 20 experts to help Tennesseans find quality healthcare through affordable insurance, access to community-based healthcare services, or both. Their services are free and unbiased.

WEST TN COMMUNITY RESOURCE EXPO

Everyone is welcome! Stop by to learn about health and wellness, employment opportunities, apprenticeships, volunteer programs, home ownership, education, and other resources.

For a table or more information please contact: Mandy Garman with TN Housing Development Agency at [email protected]

The March of Dimes Maternal HealthCARE (Collaborative to Advance Racial Equity) is taking a novel approach to community engagement that generates honest feedback that is of value to hospitals and health systems. This collaborative is seeking additional partnerships with statewide partners to join this collaborative. RHA of TN wants to be sure that the voices of rural Tennesseans are heard. If you or someone that you know would like to be apart of this collaboration, apply here. 

Find out more information at: 

Are you curious about what leadership solutions are available for rural healthcare leaders who are passionate about making a difference? This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio we explore another rural-focused leadership program that’s working to improve health equity, NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows Program. 

NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows program is a yearlong, intensive training program that develops leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. Each year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience. The goal of the Fellows program is to educate and develop a network of diverse rural leaders that will step forward to serve in key positions in the association, affiliated advocacy groups, and local and state legislative bodies with health equity as the main focus. For more information, go to https://www.ruralhealth.us/programs/rural-health-fellows

Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio

Thanks to the advocacy efforts of RHA of TN members and other organizations, dental coverage is now available for pregnant and postpartum women. Starting April 1st, pregnant women on TennCare will have dental coverage.  

An excerpt of the Notice of Change can be found below.

The please see the following update from the Tennessee Department of Health:

The following information as released from HRSA regarding the Uninsured Program and the Coverage Assistance Fund. Please direct additional concerns to https://www.hrsa.gov/CovidUninsuredClaim or contact the HRSA Provider Support Line at (866) 569-3522. 

Rural Health Association of Tennessee members met with several of Tennessee’s legislators and staffs on Wednesday, March 9^th.

Topics of conversation ranged from discussing the Access to Naloxone Act, telehealth, health equity, and the importance of coordinated school health.

Sabrina Blue is the Founder and CEO of Helping Hands of Middle and West Tennessee (HHT). The mission of HHT is to build stronger communities and help improve health outcomes for West Tennessee families. HHT provides dental, medical, and medical insurance assistance to families earning no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Blue is an Associate Pastor with the Historic First Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. Her mission is to look at the deficit of the resources in rural Tennessee and figure out how to deliver holistic healthcare to the residents of rural West Tennessee.

Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio 

In honor of Heart Health Month, The Rural Health Association hosted a webinar in collaboration with the American Heart Association- Tennessee this morning, "Building Community Networks to Improve Heart Health in Rural Communities" .

Our guest speakers, Brenda Miller and Kacie Kennedy, offered a vast knowledge on ways you can partner with your local communities to help with heart health in your own neighborhood and recognizing the importance of heart health. 

Rural Health Association of TN's members A Step Ahead Chattanooga has a commitment to removing barriers to contraception through education, outreach, and access to free birth control.

A Step Ahead Chattanooga serves 18 counties across Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia, and Northeast Alabama (Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Catoosa, Dade, Murray, Walker, Whitfield, DeKalb, and Jackson counties).

The Tennessee Department of Health's Division of Health Disparities Elimination is proudly recognizing extraordinary individuals in the health and medicine industries with ties to Tennessee during Black History Month, including RHA of TN's own Dorshonda Evans. 

"Dorshonda Evans, BSHA, LPN is Rural Health Association of Tennessee’s (RHA of TN) Member Engagement Director. As a nurse and mother, Mrs. Evans understands the challenges healthcare workers face in balancing family, work, and personal care.

Rural Health Association of Tennessee members met with several of Tennessee’s federal Congressmen, Congresswomen, and staffs on Wednesday, February 9^th.

Topics of conversation ranged from discussing the 340B drug program, Rural Health Clinic Modernization Act, and the importance of programs such as the National Health Service Corp and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (R-CORP)