Tennessee
A relentless force for longer, healthier lives in Tennessee
New! 2023 Heart and Stroke Statistics
Each year, the American Heart Association, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and other government agencies, compiles up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases in the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update.
Creating Sustainable Impact in Knoxville
The Knoxville team worked with Wesley House, a local non-profit serving one of the most historically under-resourced communities in the city, to meet some of the community’s health needs and inspire sustainable heart-healthy interventions for their food pantry. We provided a cold storage unit to increase Wesley House’s distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with connecting them to Cherokee Health Systems’ mobile clinic to provide blood pressure monitoring equipment, educational resources, and training for their staff.
Featured Recipe: Air Fryer Fried Okra
Throughout the South, okra is a favorite ingredient in many dishes, including the ever-popular gumbo, but it’s also delicious as the main attraction in this side dish.
Memphis encourages community to #CheckIt
The #CheckItMemphis campaign is an initiative aimed at increasing awareness of high blood pressure and encouraging community members to monitor their blood pressure numbers regularly. Through screening events, education, and outreach, the campaign seeks to reduce the prevalence of high blood pressure and its associated health risks as the leading silent killer in Memphis.
Learn more about #CheckIt
Chattanooga launched Healthy for Life®
The Chattanooga team with the assistance of local farmers market, foodbank, and local university launched it’s Healthy for Life program this fall. They are offering healthy cooking classes and grocery shopping demonstrations planned for locally designated food deserts. The first of 3 classes took place this fall.
For more information, visit Healthy for Life
Smokefree Nashville
On October 24, Nashville Mayor John Cooper signed an ordinance that prohibits smoking inside most age restricted venues and finally gave Davidson County’s hospitality workers and musicians the same smoke-free workplace protection enjoyed by nearly all other Nashvillians. We are thrilled to say that this bill went into effect March 1, 2023.
Learn More About E-Cigarette use in TennesseeBIG Opportunity: 2-Day TRIPLE MATCH!
Two-days only! Your gift will be TRIPLE MATCHED to make 3X the impact against heart disease.
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Events in Your Area
Middle Tennessee Go Red for Women Luncheon
Location: Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023 - 11:00 AM
Learn MoreKnoxville Go Red for Women Luncheon
Location: The Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farm
Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023 - 10:30 AM
Learn MoreIn Your Community
The American Heart Association is committed to driving equitable health impact in Tennessee through local initiatives that encourage and support our next generation - like working with local clinics and community partners to check blood pressure, reducing tobacco vaping use, and increasing access to heart healthy food.
In 2021, we reached more than 850,000 people with our sustainable community changes. We worked with all area health systems on quality care, provided resources and engaged students at school, and funded more than $13 million in research and scholarships. In addition, we raise funds locally through events such as our annual Heart Walks, Go Red for Women Luncheons and Heart Balls in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis which gives donors and volunteers the opportunity to see, celebrate and be inspired by the stories that fuel our lifesaving mission.
Tennessee Lobby Day
On February 22 Tennessee had its first Lobby Day in several years, in partnership with the American College of Cardiology. The day was focused on educating lawmakers on a bill that criminalizes youth vaping. We had Board Members and volunteers from all over Tennessee join at the State Capitol for a full day of lobbying. Thank you to all who participated!
Chair
Renee Ford
Elliott Davis
President
Dr. Alison L. Bailey
Centennial Heart at Parkridge
Members
Gregg T. Gentry
Erlanger Health System
Corinne Henderson
Henderson + Gardner, PLLC
Chris Hopkins
Apogee Wealth Partners
Dr. Shewanee Howard-Baptiste
AHA Leadership Development Chair,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Dr. Quincy Jenkins
Chattanooga State Community College
Dr. Mary Lambert
City of Chattanooga
Twila Layne
We R CPR
Dr. Chris LeSar
AHA Immediate Past President,
Vascular Institute of Chattanooga
Dr. Harish Manyam
Erlanger Health System
Glenn Morris
AHA Immediate Past Chair,
M&M Industries
D. Channing Muller
DCM Communications
Thomas H. Ozburn
FACHE, Parkridge Health System
Pastor Ernest Reid
Second Missionary Baptist Church
Scott Rowe, PT
Encompass Health
President
Dr. Brian Wiseman
The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Chair
Ken Parent
Pilot Company
Members
Andy Beam
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Tony Benton, Chair-Elect
Tennova Healthcare
Brett Foster
Knox County Schools
Eddie Jett
MBI Companies
Luke Johnson
Covenant Health
Charles F. Lomax, Jr.
City of Knoxville
Dr. Sumeet Sharma, President-Elect
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
Cheryl Smith
CPR Choice
Marsha Spence, PhD, MPH, RDN, LDN
The University of Tennessee
Chair
Michael Wiechart
TeamHealth
President
Daniel Munoz, M.D.
Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Center
Leadership Development Chair
Eric Evans
Surgery Partners
Immediate Past Chair
Ken Misch
MEDHOST
Incoming President
Herman Williams, M.D.
BDO Consulting
Members
Greg Allen
Scott Cihak
TriStar Centennial Medical Center
Terry Hardesty
Deloitte
Saletta Holloway, Ed. D
Meharry Medical College
Alfred Lumsdaine
Ardent Health
Thomas Nantais
Vanderbilt Adult Ambulatory Operations
Pal Narayanan
GEODIS
Evelio Rodriguez, M.D.
Ascension Saint Thomas Heart
Margaret Rush, M.D.
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Saurabh Sinha
emids
Fahad Tahir
Ascension Saint Thomas
Joseph Webb, D.Sc., FACHE
Nashville Healthcare Center
A. Brian Wilcox, Jr., M.D.
Ascension Saint Thomas
John C. Witt, M.D.
Skyline Neuroscience Associates
Karey L. Witty
Valtrius
Beth Workman
United Derm Partners
President
Dr. John Jefferies
UT Methodist
Chair
Doug McGowen
City of Memphis
Dr. Andrei Alexandrov
UTHSC
Jenny Bartlett-Prescott
Church Health
Valerie Bearup
Morris Marketing Group
Andy Davis
Turner Construction Company
Dr. Cassandra Howard
Methodist Germantown Hospital
Dr. John Jefferies
UT Methodist
Dr. Asish Joshi
University of Memphis
Paaj Kurapati
University of Memphis
Roxanne McGonigal
Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Doug McGowen
City of Memphis
Angela Moss
First Horizon Bank
Robyn Sharp
International Paper
Jim Sweeney
Path AI Diagnositics
Dr. Michelle Taylor
Shelby Co Health Dept
Manoucheka Thermitus
Regional One Health
Dr. Benjamin “Rush” Waller
UTHSC/Le Bonheur
Brian Yoakum
Evans Petree PC
Marques Young
Edward Jones
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Heart and Stroke News
Find science-based stories about heart and brain health and inspiring survivor profiles from American Heart Association News.
