A new program is inviting Tennessee high school students to create action plans to educate their peers and loved ones about the dangers of opioid abuse and campaign to stay drug-free.
Healthy Tennessee and Franklin Mayor Ken Moore will host a press conference at the Franklin City Hall on Wednesday (1 p.m.) to announce the launch of the Healthy Tennessee Challenge.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to hear the ideas and solutions of our state’s young people, said Dr. Manny Sethi of Healthy Tennessee. “We believe these bright and energetic minds hold many of the answers to defeating the scourge of opioid addiction and we want to reward them for leading the charge.”
Winners of the Healthy Tennessee Challenge will be chosen from East, Middle and West Tennessee and rewarded a $2,000 prize to implement their plan, according to a press release.
Healthy Tennessee holds free health screenings, health care symposiums, and provides health care prevention tips and information on nutrition. Over the past eight years, Healthy Tennessee has worked with Fortune 500 companies, universities and community leaders to make Tennessee a healthier place to live, work and raise a family. More information is online here.
Sethi spoke about Healthy Tennessee, the opioid crisis and how preventative care can lower healthcare costs on the Jan. 7 Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am. A transcript and audio clip are available here.
The need for preventative care is great. Healthy Tennessee’s website says:
Throughout the last decade, Tennessee has consistently found itself ranking in the bottom third of all states in terms of the health of its citizens. This is not an enviable position to hold, and certainly not an achievement to be proud of. Recent statistics show that 13% of the adults in Tennessee have diabetes, 34% are obese, and almost 39% of the adult population in Tennessee has high blood pressure.
Healthy Tennessee is a non-profit organization founded in 2011 by Sethi and his wife, Maya. Sethi is a Vanderbilt University Medical Center orthopedic trauma surgeon.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
[…] The organization in March launched an effort called the Healthy Tennessee Challenge to invite high school students to create action plans to educate their peers and loved ones about the dangers of opioid abuse and to campaign to stay drug-free, The Tennessee Star reported. […]
[…] and wife Maya in 2011 founded Healthy Tennessee, a non-profit, The Star previously reported. The organization holds free health screenings, health care symposiums and provides health care […]