The Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences is distributing $1.75 million in grants to help close healthcare gaps in rural communities across the state. In East Tennessee, several grants directly support local needs, particularly in Bledsoe, Roane, and Oak Ridge areas.

Bledsoe County received an implementation grant for Bledsoe County Schools to continue school nurse services. The grant will help collect data on the program’s impact and develop a plan to sustain school-based nursing services in its five schools once the three-year grant period ends.

Roane County and the Oak Ridge area benefit from a planning grant awarded to The Free Medical Clinic in Oak Ridge. This is the only free medical provider serving Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties (with the grant also referencing broader service to Campbell, Loudon, Rhea, and Scott counties). The one-year grant will support transforming a former federal armory into a comprehensive rural free medical center that serves as a one-stop shop. The new facility aims to integrate primary care, chronic disease management, specialty services, behavioral health, substance use treatment, dental, and vision care.

Another planning grant to the Tennessee Charitable Care Network includes Roane County among the areas served. This grant will evaluate the feasibility of expanding Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support into six rural community and faith-based clinics, an approach proven to improve health outcomes for diabetic patients but currently rarely accessible in rural settings.

Additional implementation grants in East Tennessee went to Higher Ground Counseling in Unicoi County to establish an intensive outpatient treatment program for juveniles, addressing high opioid overdose rates and limited access to care in Appalachia. Planning and implementation grants were also awarded in other parts of the state, including West and Middle Tennessee.

The remaining grant recipients and service areas are:
– Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital (West Tennessee Pediatric Trauma Network, serving rural counties in West Tennessee)
– Family Care Wellness Clinic in Warren County (Middle Tennessee, focused on diabetes care)
– Hardeman County Community Health Center (serving Hardeman, Haywood, and Chester counties)

All grantees will present their plans at the inaugural Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Conference on April 21, 2026, in Memphis.