Nashville

  • Gun violence is the No. 1 killer of children; here are common-sense steps to address it (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | The perfect storm of easy access to firearms combined with a pandemic-fueled mental health crisis has brought us to a boiling point. On March 31, 9-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus was scheduled to sing Louis Armstrong’s classic song “What A Wonderful World” at a play at Nashville’s Covenant School. Instead, country music artist Vince Gill…

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  • How The Busiest Heart Transplant Center In The World Got Its Start – An Inside Story Of The First Decade (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | The Vanderbilt Transplant Center is currently the busiest heart transplant center in the world. This is the story of building the foundation for what the Center has become today — a narrative of the initial decade of the 34 years since the founding of this first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary, multi-organ transplant center. Over 12,300 adult…

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  • Let’s harness our heritage to revitalize Tennessee main streets and communities (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN |Tennessee is rich in history, but the physical evidence of our heritage is increasingly threatened by our state’s dramatic growth. The structures that have served for generations as the center of spiritual, social, cultural and economic vitality are being torn down or left in disrepair because of the misguided notion that it’s always…

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  • 65 Years Later: A School Bombing, A Steady Leader, And A Message Of Hope (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | In times of uncertainty, we know leadership matters more than ever. I see this from leaders firsthand every day – leadership in improving health outcomes, in driving better policy, in rising to the moment to solve tough challenges – from conservation to economic mobility. Recently, I have been reflecting on the power and…

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  • Cultivating A Culture Of Health: How Comprehensive Community-Wide Hypertension Data Are Inspiring Heath Equity (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | It’s no secret that the best data often begets the best policy, especially when it comes to community health and wellness. Having accurate, timely, and well-informed data is often the difference maker that allows communities to dramatically move the needle on health disparities. When it comes to health disparities, the city of Nashville…

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  • Nature And People Positive Solutions: The Nature Conservancy In Belize (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has a storied history of local, regional, and global environmental protection and conservation efforts centered on sound principles and comprehensive solutions. Since 1951, TNC has used a collaborative approach that engages communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners to combat some of our world’s toughest challenges like climate…

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  • A Call For Data Equity: Using Pandemic Data Mishaps To Improve Health Outcomes (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | Where we live determines how long we live. Read that again. Health disparities, in large part, are determined by where we live. In Nashville—a city that prides itself on being a renowned healthcare hub—life expectancy increases 5 years by moving to the neighboring Williamson County. Similar patterns hold true in other cities all over the…

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  • Tennessee’s COVID-19 Update – A Weekly Analysis (Week of July 5 – 11, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  As our state begins to reopen businesses, restaurants, and lift restrictions on stay at home orders, the statistics for infection rates are vitally important. NashvilleHealth is sharing weekly tracking updates and insights based on…

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  • Tennessee’s COVID-19 Update – A Weekly Analysis (Week of June 28 – July 4, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  As our state begins to reopen businesses, restaurants, and lift restrictions on stay at home orders, the statistics for infection rates are vitally important. NashvilleHealth is sharing weekly tracking updates and insights based on…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID-19 Cases – A Weekly Analysis (Week of May 10th, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  As our state begins to reopen businesses, restaurants, and lift restrictions on stay at home orders, the statistics for infection rates are vitally important. NashvilleHealth is sharing weekly tracking updates and insights based on…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID-19 Cases – A Weekly Analysis (Week of May 3rd, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  As our state begins to reopen businesses, restaurants, and lift restrictions on stay at home orders, the statistics for infection rates are vitally important. NashvilleHealth is sharing weekly tracking updates and insights based on…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID Cases – A Daily Analysis (April 29, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how our changes in behavior – including business closures, school closures, and sheltering in place for non-essential workers – are impacting infection rates,…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID Cases – A Daily Analysis (April 25, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how our changes in behavior – including business closures, school closures, and sheltering in place for non-essential workers – are impacting infection rates,…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID Cases – A Daily Analysis (April 22, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how our changes in behavior – including business closures, school closures, and sheltering in place for non-essential workers – are impacting infection rates,…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID Cases – A Daily Analysis (April 1, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how our changes in behavior – including business closures, school closures, and sheltering in place for non-essential workers – are impacting infection rates,…

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID Cases – A Daily Analysis (March 31, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how our changes in behavior – including business closures, school closures, and sheltering in place for non-essential workers – are impacting infection rates, NashvilleHealth is sharing daily tracking updates and insights based on Department of Health data. We are also incorporating the latest daily figures for Davidson County from Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s office.

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  • Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID-19 Cases – A Daily Analysis (March 25, 2020)

    by Bill Frist

    Every day, the Tennessee Department of Health releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide.  In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how our changes in behavior – including business closures, school closures, and sheltering in place for non-essential workers – are impacting infection rates,…

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  • What We Can Learn from Tennessee’s Confirmed COVID-19 Cases – A Daily Analysis

    by Bill Frist

    With the coronavirus pandemic, we are in unprecedented times, with governments having to use incomplete and rapidly evolving information to determine how to best keep their people safe as well as keep local economies afloat.  I want to commend Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Health for the steps they have taken to…

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  • The Tax Credit that is History in the Re-Making (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | At a time when our nation feels like it may be torn apart with increasing partisanship and clash of cultures, there is something all Americans share in common. We all take pride in our communities, our hometowns, the places where we were born and the places where we’ve put down roots. Part of…

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  • Why Tennessee should join 35 other states in adopting a historic tax credit (Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | Earlier this week, Gov. Bill Lee made the commendable decision to direct all state agencies to find ways to improve how they serve rural Tennessee regions. “My administration will place a high emphasis on the development and success of our rural areas,” Governor Lee said in announcing his first executive order.  I strongly…

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  • Has Childhood Obesity Become A National Security Threat? (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | As a physician and lawmaker, I have long argued that federal global health aid improves America’s standing in the world and makes us safer by steadying unstable nations. Countries with healthy workforces have improved economic outputs, stronger family units, and are less likely to become havens for terrorists.  But what many may not…

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  • The Latest In Blockchain In Healthcare: Top Takeaways From Distributed Health (Forbes)

    by Bill Frist

    FORBES | Last week I had the honor of kicking off the third annual Distributed Health conference in Nashville, which brought together leaders in healthcare as well as blockchain innovators from across the nation. All were united by the shared belief that blockchain has transformative potential for health and healthcare, with changes already underway. Blockchain…

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  • Taking Root in Nashville – A New Collaborative to Green our Streets and Improve our Health

    by Bill Frist

    Clean air, cooler streets, safer neighborhoods, improved health – these are all things we’d like for our city of Nashville.  What do they all share in common?  They are all goals that can be achieved in part through a larger urban tree canopy – and all are central to the mission of our new collaborative…

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  • Opinion | Nashville’s transit plan will improve our health (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    The Tennessean | Operating on a heart — opening the chest cavity, sawing through the breastbone, placing the patient on heart-lung bypass, and finally cutting into the body’s most vital muscle — is always the last resort. As heart surgeons, we tell our patients they can avoid such drastic surgery by acting to prevent heart…

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  • Bill Frist and Jill Biden: A call for better health and learning (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | At Carpenters Middle School in Blount County, exercise and reading go hand in hand. Nearly 200 students participate in the “Pedal Power” program, spending 20 minutes a day reading a book they select while riding a recumbent bike. Students say that when they are physically active while they learn, they notice a difference, with one…

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  • Here’s how we can make Earth Day every day in Nashville (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | Earth Day matters — to you and your health. Earth Day was established in 1970 to make us think, for at least one day, about the health of our environment. We submit that every day should be Earth Day. Not just for the health of nature, but for your health and well-being. When 90 percent of a…

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  • No. 1 killer of Nashville women may surprise you (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | If you were asked to name the No. 1 cause of death in women in Davidson County, what would you say? Some might suggest cancer, or perhaps Alzheimer’s. But the truth is that our number one “lady killer” is a condition that many consider a man’s disease.  And what’s even more striking is that its early symptoms…

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  • Tackling Tobacco Use In The Volunteer State: Let’s Start With Tennessee Quit Week (FORBES)

    by Bill Frist

    Forbes | In the last six weeks, two critical reports have shined a spotlight on Tennessee’s high levels of tobacco use and inadequate prevention efforts. In December, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other public health organizations published a report that compared funding for tobacco cessation and prevention in each state, and Tennessee ranked a dismal 45th nationwide. …

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  • How NashvilleHealth Is Maximizing Community Population Health (Health Affairs)

    by Bill Frist

    HEALTH AFFAIRS | How can Main Street, America, move the needle in a city’s population health and wellbeing? It begins with a solid, organizational structure built for the long term. I fondly call my hometown, Nashville, the “Silicon Valley of Health Services.” With 18 publicly traded national health care companies headquartered here with annual global health…

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  • Tennessee Quit Week a first step to healthier Nashville (The Tennessean)

    by Bill Frist

    THE TENNESSEAN | Of the thousands of heart and lung operations I have performed, the most common cause of the underlying disease in these patients was a single voluntary behavior: smoking. That tragedy is what Tennessee Quit Week (Feb. 22-28) is all about. Smoking absolutely leads to a shorter, poorer-quality life. It more than doubles a person’s…

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  • The Childhood Experiences That Can Cut 20 Years Off Your Life

    by Bill Frist

    I recently heard a startling statistic. According to a CDC study, children who endure six or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by the age of 18—incidents of abuse or neglect that make a child feel unsafe or unwanted in their home—live on average 20 years less than their peers who are not exposed to these…

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  • The Numbers are In: The Case for NashvilleHealth

    by Bill Frist

    I like to keep an eye on my hometown’s statistics. I love seeing Nashville listed among the nation’s best cities to launch a startup, raise a family and visit for a weekend away. According to some estimates, we gain 80 new Nashvillians each day, transplants from all over, drawn to our welcoming atmosphere and our…

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  • Congratulations to the 2015 SCORE Prize Winners

    by Bill Frist

    All year long the State Collaborative on Reforming Education—SCORE—works with and for students, parents, and teachers in Tennessee and each October we have the privilege of dedicating an evening to recognizing the amazing progress they have made. I love that our annual SCORE Prize awards ceremony doesn’t just bring together administrators and policy makers in…

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  • Making Health Convenient

    by Bill Frist

    I believe one of the secrets of achieving good population health is to make the healthy choice the easy choice, and I’m so pleased to learn of businesses in Tennessee who are working to make that a reality. Tri-Star Services’ Twice Daily convenience stores are making a strong committment to offering  healthy food and drink…

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  • Nashville’s Role in the Healthcare Landscape

    by Bill Frist

    I love Nashville and I’m so proud of the work being done  here. Healthcare is the heart of this town and the solutions being developed here are helping patients all over the world. I’m particularly proud of the Nashville Healthcare Council’s Fellows program, and was thrilled to introduce it to a broader audience. I am…

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  • A Conversation on Haiti

    by Bill Frist

    Last week, Hope Through Healing Hands and I had the honor of welcoming the former Prime Minister of Haiti, Laurent Lamothe, to Nashville. I’ve been to Haiti many times, and was thrilled to hear the latest updates on the quantifiable successes in Haiti over the last few years, namely in providing housing for those displaced by the…

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  • Where Health And Environment Converge

    by Bill Frist

    An area of healthcare that has recently become very important to me is community transformation projects focusing on the social determinants of health: environment, economic stability, access to care, education, and community resources. Only 15% of our health is determined by the healthcare we receive, so looking at the other 85% is not only imperative,…

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  • November Update

    by Bill Frist

    The fall has been exceptionally busy around here with several international trips and speaking engagements, but I was able to be home for Thanksgiving and got to enjoy some of the beautiful autumn color that Middle Tennessee has to offer. I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s an update on some of…

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  • Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies: My Conversation with Melinda Gates

    by Bill Frist

    Yesterday morning, I had the privilege of sitting down with Melinda Gates, Scott Hamilton, Jenny Eaton Dyer, and a room full of caring people to talk about Hope Through Healing Hands’ Faith-Based Coalition for Healthy Mothers & Children Worldwide. Chatting with both Melinda and Scott is always such a pleasure—especially about such an important issue…

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  • Tremendous Step Forward for Tennessee’s Children

    by Bill Frist

    Today the state of Tennessee has taken a tremendous step forward for our children and our future.  The Volunteer State has made more progress than any other state in the nation across 4th and 8th grade reading and math. When I launched the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) in 2009, we noted that “several…

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  • Nashville Health Care Council Fellows

    by Bill Frist

    “What we witnessed is bipartisan dialogue, exposure to world-known individuals, new methods of learning, strategies and tactics I have put to use, and a consistent and engaging forum for dialogue. I consider this class one of the single most important investments I have made in myself.” -Laura Beth Brown, Vice President, Vanderbilt Health Services, Vanderbilt…

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  • Nashville Flooding and What You Can Do

    by Bill Frist

    The numbers from the flooding in Nashville continue to astound. Twenty-one people have died in Tennessee and thousands of people have been driven from their homes. The pictures that are continuing to come in show the level of devastation in Middle Tennessee, and many families are just now being able to get back and see…

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  • Special Session Presents Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

    by Bill Frist

    By: Sen. Bill Frist, M.D. In my 12 years of service to Tennesseans in the United States Senate, I learned that progress often comes from taking advantage of moments when the stars align around a specific goal.  In Tennessee, one of those moments is upon us, as for the first time in over 25 years…

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