Tennessee Leaders Gather in Memphis to Chart the Future of Rural Health

Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dunn, DVM, PhD, discussed the state's low health care rankings and the growth of rural health initiatives at the inaugural Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Innovation and Practice Conference.

Nearly 100 people committed to transforming rural health care in Tennessee gathered in Memphis yesterday at the first Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Innovation and Practice Conference.

The event brought together leaders from across the state in policy, research, and practice, along with the seven organizations that received funding from the center's first round of grant awards totaling $1.75 million. Grant recipients also presented on their projects.

"We had a lot of good collaborators and partners here," said College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc. "People can see the types of things we will be able to support through the Center of Excellence, and there is excitement about that." Dr. Likes is the principal investigator on the grant that established the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences in 2025.

Tennessee Health Commissioner John V. Dunn, DVM, PhD, EMBA, cited the state's low health care rankings while also pointing to a growing list of rural health initiatives, including the Governor's Rural Health Care Task Force, the Rural Health Resilience Program, and the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence, which launched to address challenges in preventive care and health care access across rural communities.

The center's role includes engaging varied rural voices, aligning and streamlining existing efforts, providing technical assistance, and supporting the Rural Health Transformation Program with a focus on health workforce development, according to Dr. Dunn's presentation. "I look forward to continuing to work with you to transform health in rural Tennessee and to transform some of those metrics we shared," he said.

At the conference, UT Health Sciences leaders came together through the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence to collaborate on bringing health care to rural communities across the state.

Confronting Tennessee's Health Divide

Tennessee ranks 44th in the nation in overall health. Twenty-two counties do not have a hospital, and more than 50% of Tennessee rural hospitals lack maternity care, according to the Tennessee Rural Health Care Task Force report published in June 2023.

Michael Meit, MA, MPH, director of the Center for Rural Health and Research at East Tennessee University, drove that point home with a stark comparison. Lake County, the poorest in Tennessee, has a median household income of $30,500 and a heart disease mortality rate of 442.2 per 100,000. In Williamson County, the wealthiest, the median household income is $131,202 and the heart disease rate is 121 per 100,000.

"That is what it is like to be poor in Tennessee and the U.S.," Meit said.

Christi Granstaff, director of the Tennessee Charitable Care Network, called the presentation "really illuminating. To me, it shows the complexities of the issues we are working on." TCCN is one of the Center of Excellence grant recipients.

Meit also highlighted rural assets, including community connection and a strong work ethic. "We need to be talking about what is good in our communities even while we acknowledge our challenges," he said.

The conference marked the first time grant recipients gathered to present their work, offering a window into how the center's $1.75 million investment is taking shape across the state. Dr. Likes framed the moment as proof of what the center can grow into. "People can see the types of things we will be able to support," she said, "and there is excitement about that."