By Dr. Brett Smith As a rheumatologist, I’ve seen firsthand how my patients’ quality of life has been improved by prescription medications. Unfortunately, in Tennessee and across the country, rising out-of-pocket costs are putting treatments and medications out of reach for many people battling complex, chronic conditions. And when patients face high prices at the pharmacy counter, it can push them to forgo or alter their treatment regimen, which can ultimately lead to poorer health outcomes. Many patients who are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic illnesses, depend on co-pay assistance programs that help cover the cost…
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ A new initiative in Tennessee aims to partner the faith-based community and the state to help find foster care and adoptive parents for children. At a news conference Monday, Gov. Bill Lee announced the TN Fosters Hope push that teams up the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services with private organizations Tennessee Kids Belong and Show Hope. The goals are to establish a network of churches to support foster care and adoption needs, recruit certifying families who can care for foster children with increased needs, and build pathways for children under full Department of Children’s Services custody…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Tennessee’s Republican-led Statehouse gave final legislative approval Monday to a measure to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports, a measure many critics warn would likely result in costly legal challenges and be harmful to transgender youth. House lawmakers voted 71-16 for the bill after little debate. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. Lee has not explicitly promised he would sign the bill, but has said transgender athletes would “destroy women’s sports” and remarked that transgender athletes would put “a glass ceiling back over women that hasn’t been there in some…
Dr. Miriam DeCosta Sugarmon Willis used the power of education to persist, overcome and knock down walls that would create opportunities for fellow females and African Americans. The definition of a trailblazer, DeCosta Sugarmon Willis was denied entrance into graduate school at then- Memphis State University in 1957 for no reason other than being African American. After being the first African American to attend the Westover Prep School, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. She was accepted into a dual-graduate program at Johns Hopkins University after being denied at Memphis State. She completed her master’s and doctoral degrees…
This year, Bianca Smith and Jennifer King made sports history as the first black female coaches in both Major League Baseball and the National Football League-Smith was hired by the Boston Red Sox and King joined the Washington Football Team as an assistant running backs coach. But let’s take a look at the many women that came before them, charting a new path in the male-dominated industry. One of the earliest examples of African American women involved in professional sports was the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens: “The team of women actually began playing baseball two years before the first male professional team and did it…
Nashville, TN (TN Tribune)–Meharry will be vaccinating eligible community members starting on Thursday, March 25 at 9:40 a.m. at the Henry Moses Alumni Hall on Meharry’s campus. Appointments are available for Thursday (3/25), Friday (3/26), Tuesday (3/30) and Wednesday (3/31). Those interested can sign up for appointments by calling 615-327-6348 or visiting https://home.mmc.edu/getting-the-vaccine/. Eligibility includes those 55 and older, 16 and older for those with qualifying health conditions, and others in qualifying professions. Learn more about Meharry’s health care services at https://meharrymedicalgroup.com/
By William Cooper As the Biden administration looks for sources of revenue to pay for legislation addressing infrastructure and climate change, a familiar idea has reemerged: the wealth tax. Championed by progressives like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, the potential legislation would tax the assets of the wealthiest Americans each year. There are valid arguments on both sides of the issue. On the one hand, a wealth tax would narrow the massive inequality gap in the United States. At the same time, however, wealthy individuals often do a better job allocating capital – through business ventures and philanthropy…
Washington D.C.–President Biden on Tuesday called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and to close loopholes in the background check system after a gunman killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo. “I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps that will save lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said in remarks at the White House following Monday’s shooting. “We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again. I got that done when I was…
NEW YORK — BLACK ENTERPRISE will present its first-ever Health & Wellness Summit, March 25 sponsored by Manulife and John Hancock. Never have the realities of racial healthcare disparities been more apparent. This urgently needed summit will address the physical and mental health needs of Black communities, from managing stress, obesity, and chronic conditions to physical fitness and self-care. The Health & Wellness Virtual Summit will feature candid, engaging conversations with leading experts on health, fitness, nutrition, and mental and emotional wellness for African Americans, as well as discussions on actionable solutions to systemic inequities in healthcare that make Black…
NEWARK, N.J. — Jacob Walthour Jr., the founder of New Jersey’s first and largest Black asset management firm, Blueprint Capital Advisors, is garnering widespread attention for the work his firm is doing for clients and New Jersey’s Black community. He was recently recognized as part of the NJBIZ ‘Leaders in Finance Awards’ and the ROI Influencers ‘Power List 2021.’ He is no stranger to recognition having been named by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the Most Influential Blacks on Wall Street. “I am the son of two parents who never graduated high school yet went on to run a…