skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, December 2, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Heavy lake-effect snow dumps more than 5 feet over parts of Great Lakes region; Study: Fish farms consume far more wild fish than previously thought; Maryland's federal workers prepare to defend their jobs; Federal investments help bolster MA workforce training programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A plan described as the basis for Trump's mass deportations served a very different purpose. Federal workers prepare to defend their jobs if they lose civil service protections, and Ohio enacts bathroom restrictions on transgender people.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Residents in Colorado's rural communities face challenges to recycling, climate change and Oregon's megadrought are worrying firefighters, and a farm advocacy group says corporate greed is behind high food prices in Montana.

TN poised to expand access to opioid treatment at Community Health Centers

play audio
Play

Thursday, April 18, 2024   

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Tennesseans struggling with opioid addiction, as a bill has been passed to increase access to treatment for opioid use disorder at Community Health Centers.

More than 3,800 lives were lost to overdose in the state in 2021, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Emily Waitt, policy and advocacy manager for the Tennessee Primary Care Association, said the original bill limited the number of patients nurse practitioners and physician assistants could treat with buprenorphine. The update removes the limitations, allowing more Tennesseans to access medication assisted treatment in their communities.

"It allows NPs and PAs to prescribe to 100 patients at a time, versus 50," Waitt explained. "Basically doubling the number of patients that they can prescribe to."

Community Health Centers serve more than 423,000 patients across Tennessee, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. About 7.7% of Tennesseans do not have health insurance.

Libby Thurman, CEO of the Tennessee Primary Care Association, said bringing the treatment to rural health centers expands access to a crucial service for patients who otherwise could not afford it. She noted it is important because people in remote areas often face challenges finding specialists and treatment facilities.

"We really wanted to work on this issue, because we know our Community Health Centers are where patients go for care," Thurman emphasized. "We really believe in an integrated model. So we want to treat the whole person, including if they are struggling with an addiction issue or a substance abuse disorder issue."

Health Centers offer behavioral health care, including counseling, along with treatment. The clinics also focus on creating a supportive network to help patients with family resources, job assistance and community connections.

Disclosure: The Tennessee Primary Care Association contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Mental Health, and Reproductive Health. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
If New York established an unemployment bridge program, 750,000 workers would be eligible for its benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrant New Yorkers want lawmakers to create an unemployment bridge program. It would support unemployed workers who are ineligible for state …


Social Issues

play sound

A New York organization believes universal public childcare can be implemented in five years. New Yorkers United for Child Care is using its newly …

Social Issues

play sound

Federal investments are helping the city of Boston develop greater workforce training programs. The city received $23 million in 2022 to develop …


Fourteen states prohibit transgender people from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity, according to Human Rights Campaign. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Andrew Tobias for Signal Cleveland.Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Signal Ohio-Public News Service …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Maine News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabora…

Animal nutritionists confirm sugar is a key energy source for cows, due to its concentrated and rapidly digestible nature. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public Ne…

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakotans passed Amendment F on Election Day, opening the door to impose work requirements on people who qualify for expanded Medicaid benefits…

Social Issues

play sound

For some, apprenticeships provide more than just a job, they offer a career path. Industry leaders are working around the clock, not only on their …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021