Spring cleaning season is here, and people across Tennessee are preparing to clean out their medicine cabinets and safely and securely dispose of medications that are expired or no longer needed during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Take Back Day is this Saturday, April 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time.

NASHVILLE – Jennifer Putnam has been appointed assistant commissioner of Health Licensure and Regulation for the Tennessee Department of Health. In this role, Putnam oversees a staff of approximately 350 employees in Health Professional Boards, Health Care Facilities, the Office of Investigations, and Emergency Medical Services.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) announced today it was awarded a two-year project to build capacity to promote Alzheimer's disease awareness. This project will support provider engagement, strategic planning, and public awareness of risk reduction, early diagnosis, and treatment. TDH is one of 16 public health departments awarded this capacity-building opportunity under the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health recognizes World Birth Defects Day on March 3, 2022, joining other birth defect prevention organizations, including the World Health Organization, March of Dimes, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to increase awareness about birth defects.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health joins partners across the state in celebrating the seventh annual Tennessee Quit Week February 20-25. The Tennessee Tobacco Program will promote this quit campaign between February 13 – March 4, 2022, with this year’s theme being “My Journey.” The goal is to inspire Tennesseans to live healthier lives by taking advantage of the state’s free resource, the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine, to quit using tobacco products.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health continues to receive increased bi-weekly allocations of oral antivirals to treat mild to moderate COVID-19.

NASHVILLE – Everyone deserves a healthy relationship founded on trust, honesty, respect, equality, and compromise. Youth and young adults must be guided and taught to build healthy relationships and identify unhealthy ones. This February, the Tennessee Department of Health is taking part in Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month to help prevent and bring awareness to dating violence among Tennessee teens.

NASHVILLE – Stephen Espy has been named director of the Office of Informatics and Analytics (OIA) and chief data officer (CDO) for the Tennessee Department of Health. In this position, Espy will provide oversight of the management and governance of the public health data for the state.

NASHVILLE - Human trafficking continues to be a public health concern in Tennessee. Through mid-December 2021, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Human Trafficking Hotline had received 1,185 tips or leads related to human trafficking concerns. This January, which is recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Tennessee Department of Health encourages Tennesseans to learn risk factors, red flags, and resources for human trafficking that could help save a life.

NASHVILLE – Throughout November, the Tennessee Department of Health is recognizing National Diabetes Awareness Month. This year the campaign looks to educate individuals on ways to reverse pre-diabetes and prevent or delay the onset of diabetes through healthy lifestyle changes.

NASHVILLE – Today, the Tennessee Department of Health shared that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 years. While young children often have milder illness than adults, outbreaks in this age group are common, can disrupt home and family life, and can lead to spread in the general community, including those at high risk of severe disease.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health is urging all Tennesseans who have not yet received a flu vaccine this flu season to get one as soon as possible. For the fourth consecutive year, Tennessee county health departments hold special “Fight Flu TN” flu vaccine events in every county on November 9 to increase the number of people vaccinated against influenza across Tennessee.

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Health will begin offering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to certain populations, beginning Monday, October 25.

NASHVILLE - During October, the Tennessee Department of Health recognizes both Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness with the Wear a Little Purple with Your Pink Campaign. This campaign takes the easily recognized pink ribbon for breast cancer and combines it with the purple ribbon for domestic violence. While nearly one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

Tennessee state leaders are encouraging Tennesseans to participate in the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Take Back Day provides an opportunity for people to account for the prescription medications in their homes and safely and securely dispose of the medications they no longer need.