The land of Tennessee stretches from the scenic Great Smoky Mountains of the east to the banks of the Mississippi River in the west. Tennessee covers 41,217 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 6,214,888 people – with 1,658,674 living in rural Tennessee (USDA-ERS). Nashville is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 80.4% of the state’s population is white, 16.9% is Black/African-American, and 3.5% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (2007).
There are 125 hospitals in Tennessee, 55 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, Dec. 2008). The state has 16 hospitals currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (April, 2009). There are 58 Rural Health Clinics in Tennessee (CMS, 2009), and 23 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 184 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2008). 14.1% of Tennessee residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007).
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Tennessee residents in 2007 was $33,395, although rural per-capita income lagged at $26,141. Estimates from 2008 indicate a poverty rate of 18.1% exists in rural Tennessee, compared to 14.5% in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 reports that 31.8% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 21.1% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Tennessee is 8.0%, while in urban Tennessee, it is 5.9% (USDA-ERS, 2008).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
Community Resource Group (CRG)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works in rural areas to expand the opportunities for families to build assets, improve their lives, and strengthen their communities.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Tennessee
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region (NN/LM-SE/A)
State/regional organization
Works to improve access to health information for health care providers, librarians and the public in Alabama, the District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.
Rural Partnership- Tennessee
State/regional organization
Mission is to enhance statewide collaboration on workforce planning to better serve rural and underserved communities and health providers in Tennessee by assisting in the recruitment, placement and retention of physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses and other health professionals.
Tennessee Association of Community Action
State/regional organization
Works to empower local agencies through advocacy, training, and the provision of technical assistance to promote self-sufficiency and personal growth in the individuals, families and communities of Tennessee.
Tennessee Child Support
State government
Supplies help in obtaining support (financial and medical) for a child when there is a parent that does not live with him/her.
Tennessee Department of Health
State government
Works to improve the health of all Tennessee residents.
Tennessee Department of Health: Division of Minority Health and Health Disparities Elimination (DMHHDE)
State government
Serves as a central point for the Department on minority health issues.
Tennessee Department of Human Services
State government
Provides Adult & Family Services, Child Support, and Rehabilitation Services.
Tennessee Hospital Association (THA)
State/regional organization
Works to lead our members in advocacy for and support of community-based hospitals and health systems and to assist them in delivering accessible, cost-effective, quality health services.
Tennessee Office of Rural Health
State government
Works to improve and enhance the accessibility, availability, and affordability of quality health care in Tennessee by creating a central focus and coordination of rural health care resources. A division of the Tennessee Department of Health.
Tennessee Primary Care Association (TNPCA)
State/regional organization
Has a fundamental commitment to maximizing access to health care for all Tennesseans with emphasis on the medically underserved.
Tennessee Rural Health Association (RHAT)
State/regional organization
The Rural Health Association of Tennessee works to improve the policies and practices of health programs and services in Tennessee.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Tennessee
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development Tennessee State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: Tennessee
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
MedlinePlus Go Local
Web site
Offers information about health services in local geographic areas, including hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening providers and many others.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Tennessee
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
State Profiles- Tennessee: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
Tennessee QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Tennessee AgrAbility Project
Web site
Is a cooperative effort of the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service and Easter Seals in Tennessee. Is joined together to create a project to benefit Tennessee's farmers, farm workers and their family members who have disabilities.
Tennessee Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Tennessee Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Tennessee KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Tennessee State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Around the Country: Tennessee Public Health Certificates Offered
Author(s): Hope Hanson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses a program where state public health workers at the Tennessee Department of Health can take online courses and receive certificates in applied epidemiology, health leadership, or healthcare management.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Issue Summer
Date: 08 / 2005
Curing the Crisis in Nursing Education: A Master Plan for Tennessee
Discusses nursing workforce shortage issues in Tennessee.
Date: 01 / 2005
Demographic and Economic Profile: Tennessee
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 02 / 2009
Long-Term Impacts of Retiree In-Migration on Rural Areas: A Case Study of Cumberland County, Tennessee
Sponsoring organization: University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service
A summary of a report commissioned by the Institute for Public Service to inform state, local, and regional officials, and other interested individuals about the various impacts of a substantial influx of in-migrant retirees (IMRs) on a rural community.
Date: 01 / 2007
Small Business Profile: Tennessee
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2008
State Profiles - Tennessee: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Success Stories
Four County Health and Wellness Project
The project’s goal
was to provide increased access to wellness promotion, disease
prevention, and rehabilitation services to residents living in the
four-county region.
Hancock County School-Based Health Center
The Hancock County School-Based Health Center project
offered several innovative education and support programs to children and parents.
Cherokee Health Systems Rural Outreach Project
Cherokee Health Systems proposed a
collaborative health outreach project to address issues like language barriers, lack of
trust in the health care system, and, in many cases, more pressing
human needs—such as social services, food, and clothing in this predominately rural
Appalachian region.
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