Tennessee Arts & Rural Health Initiative opens for FY27. From Kim Johnson, Director of Arts & Health The Tennessee Arts Commission has developed a strong statewide presence for its work in arts and health. The Tennessee Arts & Rural Health Initiative supports arts-based projects designed to improve health and wellness outcomes in rural Tennessee hospitals. For FY27, the Tennessee Arts Commission received $50,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts and $125,000 in state funds, for a total of $175,000 available for grants disbursement. During the first year of this initiative in FY26, ten awards were given to hospitals in rural areas across the state's three grand divisions - four in West Tennessee, three in Middle Tennessee, and three in East Tennessee. Projects included art and photography installations in hospital waiting areas, professionally led art classes for patients, families, and staff, and murals created in indoor and outdoor spaces. For a complete list of FY26 projects, visit the FY26 TN Arts & Rural Health Grant Recipients. "The Tennessee Arts Commission, in partnership with the Tennessee Hospital Association, has proven this to be an effective initiative supporting rural hospitals and patient outcomes throughout communities in Tennessee," said Anne B. Pope, Executive Director of the Tennessee Arts Commission. For FY27, applications are now open with a maximum grant amount of $15,000. Eligible applicants include nonprofit hospitals, arts organizations, non-arts nonprofits, and government entities that will partner with a rural hospital. A letter of intent is due by September 30, 2026, and the application deadline is October 30, 2026. Projects may begin December 1, 2026 and must conclude by June 1, 2027. This activity is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tennessee Hospital Association recognizes Baptist Memorial hospitals. The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA), in collaboration with the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety (TCPS), recently honored several Baptist Memorial hospitals for their 2024 achievements in infection prevention with the Zero Harm Awards. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton were two of only 16 hospitals in the state to be recognized for zero harm events in all four eligible categories. This award program celebrates hospitals and clinical departments that have reached zero health care-associated infections in categories that include central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) over the past calendar year. THA honored Baptist Carroll County and Baptist Tipton for having no CAUTI, CLABSI, CDI or MRSA infections in 2024. THA also recognized Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville, Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City with 2024 Zero Harm Awards. Eligible participants include acute care and pediatric hospitals that report data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network and have voluntarily granted data rights to THA. To ensure accuracy, the Tennessee Department of Health partnered with THA to validate the data. Award criteria require hospitals to have a minimum of 50 line days or patient days hospital-wide or at the unit level for CAUTI and CLABSI.