Tennessee is the sixth state in the U.S. to enhance coverage of prostate cancer screenings for high-risk men. The state’s “PSA Screening For HIM” bill eliminates costs for certain patients to receive the lifesaving screenings, reducing barriers and increasing access to care for men over 40 with certain risk factors.
More than 6,000 Tennesseans will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, estimated the American Cancer Society. Some are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than others, including African American men and those who have a first-degree relative with a prostate cancer history.
Prostate cancer survival rates increase when detected early. The law goes into effect July 1.
“All men at high-risk for prostate cancer and those who have made an informed decision with their doctor to be screened should have access to a screening that’s barrier-free,” says Maddie Michael, Tennessee government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “This will make a huge difference for all Tennesseans, especially those at a high risk for prostate cancer who might otherwise not access a screening due to cost barriers.”
County to receive broadband grants
Hamilton County entities will receive grants totaling $6.4 million to expand broadband availability. The grants are part of $162.7 million in funding from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD). The investments will provide broadband access and digital opportunity programs to more than 236,000 Tennesseans across 92 counties.
Local grant recipients include:
Hamilton County: $1.42 million to improve digital access by construction or renovation of facilities through the Connected Community Facilities program.
ArtsBuild: $185,871 to advance digital skills and workforce development through the Digital Skills, Education and Workforce (DSEW) program.
Dynamo Studios: $997,931 to advance digital skills and workforce development through the DSEW program.
Gener8tor Management: $899,999 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Hamilton and nine other counties through the DSEW program.
La Paz Chattanooga: $723,322 to advance digital skills and workforce development through the DSEW program.
Southeast Tennessee Development District: $198,000 to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Hamilton and nine other counties through the DSEW program.
The Enterprise Center: $1.98 million to advance digital skills and workforce development by serving parts of Hamilton and nine other counties through the DSEW program
DSEW grants support a variety of training and education programs. CCF grants support construction and renovation of spaces that offer services for digital advancement in workforce, health care and education.
TNECD’s broadband infrastructure grants will provide access to more than 58,200 Tennesseans in 37 counties. In all, the department has invested more than $715 million to expand the state’s broadband infrastructure, connecting more than 689,000 Tennesseans across 275,000 residential and business locations.
All grant recipients must complete their projects by Dec. 31, 2026.
United Way honors nonprofits
United Way of Greater Chattanooga honored five local nonprofits during its annual Celebrate Awards, held May 22 at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. The 2024 winners are:
Live United, not Divided Award: Chattanooga Symphony & Opera
Innovation in Action Award: LIFT Youth Center
Roper Corporation’s Nonprofit Leader of the Year Award: Rachel Gammon of Northside Neighborhood House
Volunteer of the Year Award: Stacey Keating, vice president of corporate communications at CBL
Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award: La Paz Chattanooga
“Twenty years ago, La Paz Chattanooga was founded with a simple yet powerful mission: to empower our Latino community through advocacy, education and inclusion,” says La Paz CEO Stacy Johnson. “This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our incredible team, past and present. It’s also a tribute to the resilience and strength of the Latino community. Every day, we witness stories of courage, determination and hope that inspire us to keep showing up.”
Sponsors of the event included Roper Corporation, First Horizon Bank, Husch Blackwell, Shaw Industries and Athens Distributing.
Walnut Street Bridge renovation begins
On May 26, the city of Chattanooga placed a legally-required public advertisement for bids for work on the Walnut Street Bridge renovation project. The advertisement marked the beginning of the project, although work on the bridge is not expected to begin until March 2025 at the earliest.
Once work begins, the city expects it to take 18 months to complete.
This will be the first major renovation of the Walnut Street Bridge in more than 30 years. While the bridge is safe for use, according to a statement by the city, it’s accruing wear-and-tear that cannot be fixed with occasional maintenance and could pose safety concerns in the near future if unaddressed.
Renovations will address safety concerns, upgrade lighting and fix electrical issues.