Adult Obesity Continues to Increase

The new County Health Statistics from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute are published.  They can be reviewed in detail online.  The web site is very user friendly and interesting to study.

One of the most disappointing stats is the persistent increase in adults with BMI over 30 or obese.  Hamilton County is now at 31% of the population with a BMI of 30 or above.

It is clear that more detail of this data is needed.  The work of the Pediatric Health Improvement Coalition has found that there is a dramatic variation in obesity rates by demographic factors in the Chattanooga Region.  We have also seen that some communities, especially the at-risk communities, have started to fatigue on addressing obesity.  I hope that this continued increase in obesity will propel a coordinated and effective effort to curb the impact of obesity in the Tennessee Valley.

PHIC Vice-President and Children's CEO Speak Out about Cover Kids Program

The changes to CoverKids are among a series of recent cost-saving measures made by TennCare and other insurers over the past two years that have hit children’s hospitals’ bottom lines to an unprecedented degree, said Dr. Alan Kohrt, CEO of T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. Kohrt is also chairman of the Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee, which met with state leaders this week.

Children’s at Erlanger for example, has lost more than $3 million from a string of recent cuts.

“We’re seeing increasing cuts to the children’s hospitals that threaten the level of care that we provide,” Kohrt said. “We have not had to cut any services — yet. But we continue to face financial pressure.”

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