Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence

04/06/2026

Register now for the inaugural Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Conference. This free and informative conference will be held April 21 in Memphis. Travel funds are available.

04/02/2026

It’s a great time to be involved in rural health care in Tennessee! To learn more about the latest in practice and innovation, come to the inaugural Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Conference on April 21 in Memphis. Speakers will include Mindy Goff, MPH, State Office of Rural Health director for the Tennessee Department of Health. TRAVEL FUNDS for the conference are available. Apply for those funds at https://rural-health.uthsc.edu/

03/31/2026

From East Tennessee to West Tennessee, the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence at University of Tennessee Health Science Center is making an impact with $1.75 million in grants to seven organizations. The Center is proud to be part of this transformational process and looks forward to seeing the impact on rural health in Tennessee. https://news.uthsc.edu/tennessee-rural-health-care-center-of-excellence-announces-1-75-million-in-grant-awards/

03/27/2026

The Tennessee Department of Health will offer an information session and overview of the state Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) at 10:00 am (CST) on March 31. Information on competitive funding opportunities will be outlined for interested applicants in the webinar. Participants will also learn about the next steps in the program’s grant process, how to submit questions, and where to learn more. The link in the previous post was broken. Please register here:
https://tn.webex.com/weblink/register/r314b96a6b30cc5fb9d1b19209d4faad3

03/20/2026

This is your Friday reminder not to miss this excellent webinar! Mark your calendar for March 25 to hear from the experts at the ETSU Center for Rural Health and Research!

Please join the Center for an informative webinar on Rural Populations, Health, and Data for Tennessee at noon CST on March 25! Our speakers will be members of the ETSU Center for Rural Health and Research, including Director Michael Meit, MA, MPH, and Research Assistant Professors Casey Balio, PhD, and Kayla Alvis, PhD. Learn more and register at https://rural-health.uthsc.edu/

03/19/2026

We look forward to seeing everyone at this important conference. Some travel funds are available! Learn more and register at https://rural-health.uthsc.edu/

03/13/2026

Director Matt McDaniel, MPH, traveled to Dyer County this week, where he met with members of the Dyer County Community Health Council and with Scott Barber, chief executive officer of West Tennessee Healthcare Hospital in Dyersburg. It was great to meet our neighbors to the north!

03/11/2026

Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John V. Dunn, DVM, PhD, EMBA, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Conference on April 21 in Memphis. This free, one-day, continuing education event is designed for anyone who has an interest in the future of rural health care in Tennessee. Other speakers include Michael Meit, MA, MPH, director of the ETSU Center for Rural Health and Research, and rural health care leaders from around the state. Learn more and register at https://rural-health.uthsc.edu/

03/03/2026

Please join the Center for an informative webinar on Rural Populations, Health, and Data for Tennessee at noon CST on March 25! Our speakers will be members of the ETSU Center for Rural Health and Research, including Director Michael Meit, MA, MPH, and Research Assistant Professors Casey Balio, PhD, and Kayla Alvis, PhD. Learn more and register at https://rural-health.uthsc.edu/

02/26/2026

Director Matt McDaniel, MPH, has visited at least one dozen Tennessee counties on his listening tour to meet health care leaders in rural communities. And he’s just getting started. “As I visit health care leaders throughout rural Tennessee, I am learning from them – the experts – about how the Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence can work to provide resources and assistance to support sustainable solutions to their health care challenges,” he said.
This week, he visited McNairy and Hardin counties and began his travels into Middle Tennessee by visiting Humphreys County. He’s pictured here with Jim Edmondson, MHHSA, CPPS, CEO of Hardin Medical Center in Savannah (left) and with members of the Tennessee Department of Health - West Region, and the Hardin County Health Department. The work of the Center of Excellence is an example of how the University of Tennessee Health Science Center supports health care solutions for Tennesseans. Learn more at https://rural-health.uthsc.edu/

02/23/2026

The Rural Health Clinic Compliance Webinar is this Wednesday! Be sure to register and attend: https://tennesseehipaa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SBs_g14mTsuY8plwsspX-A #/registration

Registration is now open for our Feb. 25 webinar on “Rural Clinic Compliance Simplified: Tools, Pitfalls, and Proven Practices!” Kate Hill, RN, vice president of rural health for The Compliance Team, Inc., will be our speaker. Register here: https://tennesseehipaa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SBs_g14mTsuY8plwsspX-A #/registration

02/18/2026

Director Matt McDaniel was happy to visit the Hardeman County Health Council this week. He met with Chelsea White, Healthy Development Coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Health West Region (left), and Linda Woods, Health Educator for the Hardeman County Health Department.