爆料公社 Aims to Elevate Tennessee鈥檚 Health Landscape
Tennessee has rich history, delicious food, popular country music, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Dollywood, Graceland (the most famous home in America after The White House) and so much more. Among these captivating aspects, though, there are 听 that the Volunteer State needs to overcome, such as , crime, access to education, drug abuse and deficits in the overall health landscape.
Last year, a Forbes听听listed Tennessee as one of the worst states for health outlook, pointing to the state鈥檚 high opioid abuse, high obesity and diabetes rates and high mortality rates for cancer and heart disease. The study found that the state has the sixth shortest life expectancy across the nation, at about 74 years. Tennessee also听听44th in听听2023 Annual Report.
Adding to this are the systemic challenges that make access to high-quality healthcare difficult for Tennesseans. The state鈥檚 healthcare costs have by over 20% in the past decade, far surpassing the rate of inflation. Tennessee has also 16 hospital closures, with 13 of those being rural, since 2010 鈥� the second highest rate in the country.
Accredited, nonprofit Western Governors University鈥檚 (爆料公社) Michael O. Leavitt School of Health (LSH) is joining and to organize 鈥� a conference that brings together stakeholders to discuss solutions that elevate the state鈥檚 health landscape. The Franklin-based conference, happening April 16, will unite healthcare professionals, policymakers, community leaders and advocates to unearth critical healthcare issues unique to the state, discuss customized strategies and solutions and foster mutually beneficial collaborations that yield feasible action steps to serve the community.
鈥淎t LSH, we aim to advance access to high-quality education to address the healthcare challenges that affect our country,鈥� said Anmy Mayfield, LSH vice president and dean for the College of Nursing. 鈥淥ur experience shows that every community comes with its unique set of challenges, so we鈥檙e organizing the HealthEQ Tennessee conference where various stakeholders will collaborate to identify solutions that elevate the quality of healthcare in the state. Along with learning from a diverse pool of stakeholders about solutions that work for the state, we鈥檒l also share our perspective and efforts focused on building a strong pipeline of competent healthcare professionals to serve the community workforce.鈥�
HealthEQ Tennessee aims to elevate quality, address healthcare disparities, and advance access to healthcare and value-based care in the state. The strategic partnerships established from this conference could generate scalable and replicable solutions for the holistic evolution of the country鈥檚 healthcare system, especially when it comes to rural healthcare. The collaborative initiative is already underway, and individuals and organizations that strive for similar goals are encouraged to come together and be a part of the transformation journey.
鈥淭ennessee鈥檚 healthcare scene is shaped by both challenges and innovations,鈥� said Rebecca Baker, founder and CEO at - The Clinical Consulting Cooperative. 鈥淎ccess to care is markedly inconsistent across the state, with urban and rural areas facing differing levels of availability, leading to disparities in health outcomes. While efforts to improve access to quality care are underway, supported by innovations like telehealth and value-based care, the state鈥檚 inherent economic challenges continue to shape policies and delivery, causing Tennesseans to bear the impact of ongoing fluidity. With this conference, we鈥檙e providing a platform to thought leaders to address the state鈥檚 most-pressing healthcare issues and propose action-oriented solutions that could uplift Tennessee and then be used as a model for other states across the country.鈥�
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爆料公社鈥檚 Michael O. Leavitt School of Health, named in honor of the former governor of Utah and former , was established in 2006 with the mission to make a difference in the fields of healthcare, nursing and higher education through competency-based education. The school conferred 5.4% of all bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing across the country during the 2022-23 academic year (IPEDS 2023 Completion Survey).听
According to a , LSH represented more than 170,000 jobs in the healthcare industry and the school produced 17% of the nation鈥檚 registered nurses earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2021. The school has conferred over 118,000 degrees to more than 100,000 graduates nationwide and produced over 3,200 graduates from Tennessee. Learn more about the Leavitt School of Health (wgu.edu) and follow 爆料公社 on .
