Tennessee Matters

Major General Jeff Holmes, Commissioner, TN Dept of the Military, discuses the Tennessee National Guard with host John Clark in this Tennessee Matters encore podcast. The Guard serves both community and country and their versatility enables them to respond to domestic emergencies, overseas combat missions, counterdrug efforts, reconstruction missions and more. Their goal is to always respond with speed, strength and efficiency, helping to defend American freedom and ideals.

Being aware of your blood pressure can be very valuable to your health. May is High Blood Pressure Education Month, and there is no better time to learn about the importance of monitoring your blood pressure. Half of all Americans have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. It develops when blood flows through your arteries at higher-than-normal pressures. Let's learn more from Dr. Larry Fine, Program Officer within the Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health.

The CDC says child abuse and neglect are serious public health problems with about one in seven children experiencing child abuse and neglect in the last year. In Tennessee, the Carl Perkins Center serves 20 counties by offering a variety of services aimed at preventing child abuse as well as helping children and families through it when it happens. Let's learn more from the Event and Fundraising Coordinator, Madelyn Stadinger.

The State of Tennessee promotes a pro-business environment and the work has paid off with big businesses expanding to the Volunteer State. In particular Tennessee has become a destination for electric vehicle production including a massive project planned by FORD in West Tennessee. The person in charge of cultivating business expansion in Tennessee, including for start ups and small businesses, is Stuart McWhorter, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Recently Mr. McWhorter spoke with John Koski about Tennessee’s current momentum and the special programs that are planned for entrepreneurs.

The State of Tennessee employs more than 40,000 workers statewide in hundreds of public service roles like park ranger, corrections officer, transportation planner, pharmacy assistant, and many, many more. Recognizing the value of a diverse workforce (including the disabled), the Tennessee Department of Human Resources has leaders like Administrator Sundi Wright and Program Director Tanika Arms assigned to manage its diversity programs. Recently John Koski spoke with Ms. Wright and Ms. Arms about their role in the state’s goal to become a model employer and what’s being done to cultivate a fully diverse workforce.

Being elected to a local political office does not mean you never need to leave home in order to serve your community. This week many elected city officials met in Washington DC during the National League of Cities convention. Columbia's Mayor, Chaz Moulder, was one of the elected officials from Tennessee who attended. He tells us about his experience and why it's important to him and the community he serves.

Americans lose billions of dollars to scams. Today's scammers use AI to mimic your loved ones voice or they pretend to be a familiar business or government agency to entice you to trust them and turn over your personal information. To learn more about how to spot scams, we talk to Emma Fletcher, Senior Data Researcher with the FTC.

Nonprofit hospitals operate as charities and are designed to deliver affordable and quality health care to everyone in their communities. However, despite their tax-exempt status, many nonprofit hospitals are practicing disturbing trends that put profits over patients - like ignoring a low-income patient's qualifications for financial assistance and pursuing predatory collection practices. Former CEO of the Indian Health Service Mary Smith also serves as a board member for Consumers for Quality Care. She tells us about the group's Nonprofit Hospital Scorecards designed to call out disturbing trends among nonprofit hospitals. The group also urges lawmakers to put an end to predatory hospital practices and ensure that nonprofit hospitals truly act like nonprofits. Let's get the details from Ms. Smith.

In Tennessee, the public school with the highest student enrollment is Collierville High School in Shelby County. It is a suburb of Memphis with 2,885 students. Also in Tennessee, there are 8,300 children in foster care - meaning it would take just shy of three of the state's largest schools to hold all of the students in need of a stable home. To learn more, let's hear from Talia Wisecarver, Department of Children's Services Foster Parent Recruitment Manager for the state of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Health in the Volunteer State worked hard to serve the public during the pandemic and through to today. One method includes the Office of Faith-Based and Community Engagement led by Elizabeth Hart which is part of the Division of Health Disparities Elimination. John Clark sat down with Ms. Hart to learn more.