Blogs

Honoring Dr. Judith Tessema, CMO of Hardeman County Community Health Center

By Jayda Morse posted 10 days ago
For Dr. Judith Tessema, Chief Medical Officer of Hardeman County Community Health Center (HCCHC) , outstanding care begins with authenticity, collaboration, and a willingness to solve problems—whether for patients, staff, or the larger community. That’s why she is the recipient of the Outstanding Practitioner of the Year Award from the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA), which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, community involvement, and dedication to patient care. HCCHC is a Federal Qualified Health Center (FQHC) who provides comprehensive, integrated and quality health care services to improve ...

Bringing Healthcare Beyond Clinic Walls: Chota's Mobile Medical Unit

By Jayda Morse posted 11 days ago
As part of National Health Center Week and our theme, Planting the Seeds for Better Health , we're highlighting how Community Health Centers are expanding access to care by meeting patients where they are. Today, we're featuring Chota Community Health Services and its Mobile Medical Unit, which helps connect individuals and families to healthcare services throughout the communities it serves. In the Q&A below, Jordan Carmley, Chief Operating Officer, shares how mobile healthcare helps reduce obstacles to care, provides valuable screenings and education, and strengthens connections between patients and the healthcare resources available ...

How Rural Medical Services Is Expanding Dental Access in East Tennessee

By Jayda Morse posted 11 days ago
As part of National Health Center Week and our theme, Planting the Seeds for Better Health , we're highlighting Community Health Centers that are expanding access to oral healthcare and helping patients build healthy habits that last a lifetime. Today, we're featuring Rural Medical Services and its growing dental program, which is bringing much-needed dental care closer to home for families in East Tennessee. The following insights are shared by Landree Watts, EFDA, Dental Manager for Rural Medical Services, who discusses the organization's commitment to improving access to preventive dental care and removing obstacles for patients across ...

Keeping Prevention Front and Center: ETSU Health's Monthly Screening Focus

By Jayda Morse posted 12 days ago
As part of National Health Center Week and our theme, Planting the Seeds for Better Health , we're highlighting how Community Health Centers help patients stay healthy through preventive care and early detection. Today, we're featuring ETSU College of Nursing - Johnson City Community Health Center and its innovative monthly preventive measure focus program. The following insights come from Amy Marie Sponhaltz, Quality Assurance Coordinator, who is leading this program. What inspired the team to create the monthly preventive measure focus program? This started before I came on board. I believe the idea came about because ...

Workforce Development in Action: Cempa Community Care and UTC College of Nursing Strengthen Chattanooga's Healthcare Pipeline

By Jayda Morse posted 13 days ago
As health centers across Tennessee celebrate National Health Center Week, Cempa Community Care in Chattanooga is demonstrating how strategic partnerships can help build the next generation of healthcare professionals while strengthening access to care in local communities. For years, Cempa Community Care and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) College of Nursing have worked together to create meaningful learning opportunities for students while supporting the region's healthcare workforce needs. "Our primary partnership has been clinical affiliation agreements for nurse practitioners, dietitians, social work, and public health students ...

How River Valley Health's Community Gardens Are Growing Stronger Communities

By Jayda Morse posted 14 days ago
As part of National Health Center Week and our theme, Planting the Seeds for Better Health , we're highlighting Community Health Centers that are improving access to nutritious foods and promoting healthier lifestyles. Today, we're featuring River Valley Health and its innovative community garden program. The following insights come from Kippy Price, Marketing Coordinator at River Valley Health, who shares how these gardens are helping nourish patients, families, and communities. Can you describe how your community gardens got started? Our community garden initiative grew from the vision of our former CEO, Dr. Dennis Freeman. ...

A Healthy Start for Every Family: How Lifespan Health Supports Mothers and Children

By Jayda Morse posted 17 days ago
As part of National Health Center Week and our theme, Planting the Seeds for Better Health , we're highlighting Community Health Centers that are helping their communities thrive through compassionate, comprehensive care. Today's spotlight features Lifespan Health and its commitment to maternal and child health. The following Q&A features Rebecca Wright, Chief Executive Officer of Lifespan Health, discussing the organization's commitment to maternal and child health and the importance of ensuring every family has access to high-quality care close to home. What does it mean for Lifespan Health to be the only provider of obstetric ...

Family Nurse Practitioner in Madisonville, TN

By Jayda Morse posted 20 days ago
Salary Range: $95,000.00 To $120,000.00 Annually Position Summary An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse who has a Master’s of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner concentration, who will function in an expanded role providing primary health care under the Tennessee approved scope of practice and their collaborative practice agreement in conjunction with their supervising medical providers. Role and Responsibilities As a condition of employment, the healthcare provider will undertake to provide covered services, including emergency treatment, to a health center patient within the approved scope of practice of Chota Community ...

Primary Care Clinician in Chattanooga, TN

By Jayda Morse posted 28 days ago
Description The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division has a responsibility to respond quickly and efficiently when public health emergencies occur. All Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division employees are responsible for ensuring their contact information is current and they are accessible should a public health emergency arise. The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division maintains a call down system to store contact information and mobilize staff in the event of an emergency. During a public health emergency, all staff are required to respond should a call to mobilize be made. During a public health emergency, ...

Nurse Specialist in Chattanooga, TN

By Jayda Morse posted 28 days ago
Description The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division has a responsibility to respond quickly and efficiently when public health emergencies occur. All Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division employees are responsible for ensuring their contact information is current and they are accessible should a public health emergency arise. The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division maintains a call down system to store contact information and mobilize staff in the event of an emergency. During a public health emergency, all staff are required to respond should a call to mobilize be made. During a public health emergency, ...

County Physician in Chattanooga, TN

By Jayda Morse posted 28 days ago
Description The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division has a responsibility to respond quickly and efficiently when public health emergencies occur. All Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division employees are responsible for ensuring their contact information is current and they are accessible should a public health emergency arise. The Hamilton County Health & Social Services Division maintains a call down system to store contact information and mobilize staff in the event of an emergency. During a public health emergency, all staff are required to respond should a call to mobilize be made. During a public health emergency, ...

Gender-Affirming Care in Tennessee: TN Health Centers Comply With State Law

By Alisa LaPolt posted 06-25-2026
Health centers have recently found themselves entangled in the broader national debate over gender-affirming care. In May, U.S. Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) initiated an investigation into federally funded health centers performing gender-affirming care on minors, labeling these procedures as dangerous, ideological, and unscientific. Cassidy also demanded, among other information from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a list of health centers that provide these services. Then, just last week in a recent issue of the Federal Register, HRSA announced that it is proposing a new question to the Uniform ...

A Closer Look At Parental Rights and Minor Health Records

By Jayda Morse posted 06-12-2026
During the legislative session that recently concluded, state lawmakers passed a bill (SB 259/HB 853) amending the Family Rights and Responsibility Act. It gives parents and legal guardians the right to request and access medical records of their children – including contraceptive care and mental health treatment that teens can get without parental consent. Many questions have surfaced about this new bill. Here are some answers: What do parents have access to? All health and medical records in terms of diagnosis, treatment recommendation, and discharge summary of a minor, including mental health records, rehabilitation records, and prescription ...

Poop Can Save Your Life: How a Tennessee Health Center is Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screenings with Humor

By Jayda Morse posted 06-02-2026
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer-related death in the United States, making it a crucial screening for people ages 45 and up. ¹ But oftentimes, patients feel uncomfortable discussing the topic with their health care providers. At Chota Community Health Services in Tennessee, Tammy Madison, former Director of Nursing, recognized this as an obstacle and began brainstorming a creative solution. And so, the "Poop Can Save Your Life" campaign was born. “It seems like if you can get someone to laugh at something uncomfortable, it makes it a little easier to talk about,” Tammy explains. “I just started saying, ‘You know, poop ...

How Connectus Health is Expanding Access to Behavioral Healthcare

By Jayda Morse posted 05-19-2026
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, this year’s theme, Turning Silence into Connection , reminds us of the power of accessible, compassionate care in helping individuals feel seen, heard, and supported. At Connectus Health , a member of the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA), behavioral health services are deeply woven into everyday care, creating meaningful opportunities for connection and healing. Meeting Patients Where They Are Connectus Health provides comprehensive behavioral health services to patients across primary care, OB, and women’s health settings. Their approach includes: Traditional therapy ...

Why Integrated Behavioral Health Care Improves Patient Outcomes in Health Centers

By Jayda Morse posted 05-14-2026
This guest post was contributed by Campbell Masys, Marketing Coordinator at Peregrine Health —a TPCA Partner. Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to recognize the work community health centers are doing to bring behavioral health care to the people who need it most. Across the country, health centers are reaching patients in rural and underserved communities who would otherwise go without care entirely, and the health centers that have made behavioral health a central part of how they deliver care share an approach worth understanding. Health centers that are seeing strong behavioral health outcomes are ones where behavioral health ...

Honoring Marlita White, CEO of Hardeman County Community Health Center

By Jayda Morse posted 05-12-2026
For Marlita White, CEO of Hardeman County Community Health Center (HCCHC) , leadership is not about titles or accolades—it’s about keeping doors open, meeting needs, and making sure no community is overlooked. Despite this, her work expanding access to healthcare in rural West Tennessee and demonstrating exceptional leadership earned her the Logan Beasley Leadership Excellence Award from the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA). HCCHC is a Federal Qualified Health Center (FQHC) who provides comprehensive, integrated and quality health care services to improve the health and well-being of over 6,000 patients in Chester, Hardeman, ...

Turning Silence into Connection: Behavioral Health at Morgan County Medical Center

By Jayda Morse posted 05-07-2026
For Mental Health Awareness Month, TPCA is spotlighting the important behavioral health work happening at member health centers across Tennessee. At Morgan County Medical Center , connection, compassion, and access are at the heart of their approach to mental health care. Morgan County Medical Center offers a comprehensive range of behavioral health services designed to meet people where they are. Patients can access counseling, tele-counseling, outpatient psychiatry, and substance use disorder treatment , ensuring care is available even when transportation or stigma might otherwise stand in the way. Their services support individuals across the community ...

Student to Pediatrician: One Doctor’s Journey from High School to Health Center

By Jayda Morse posted 04-21-2026
Today, Dr. Ashley Woods is a Board-Certified Pediatrician at Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center with 7 years of experience caring for children and families in the same community that raised her. But at one time, she walked through the halls of Matthew Walker as a high school student shadowing physicians. Her return to Matthew Walker was more than a coincidence—it’s a testament to programs like HOSA-Future Health Professionals and the Tennessee Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars Program that help instill a passion for community health in students and young adults. Dr. Woods’ story is one that presents the question: What ...

Leading with Purpose: Introducing TPCA’s New CEO, Angel Moore

By Jayda Morse posted 04-16-2026
At the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA), our work has always been rooted in our mission: supporting community health centers as they deliver high-quality, compassionate care across the state. That’s why we’re proud to welcome Angel Moore, Esq. as our new Chief Executive Officer, a leader whose passion for this work is both deeply personal and profoundly lived. A Personal Commitment to Community Health Angel’s journey in community health is shaped by her own lived experience. After facing a health crisis at a young age while uninsured, she became a patient herself, an experience that continues to inform her perspective today. That connection ...