Tennessee

A relentless force for longer, healthier lives in Tennessee
Tennessee

Celebrating 47 Award Winning Tennessee Hospitals

Celebrating 47 Award Winning Tennessee Hospitals

Every patient deserves access to high-quality heart and stroke care, regardless of where they live. Each year, the American Heart Association recognizes hospitals across the country – from rural areas to the most populated cities – for consistently following up-to-date, research-based treatment guidelines for cardiovascular disease.

Tennessee Passes Smart Heart Act

Tennessee Passes Smart Heart Act

With support from local AHA staff and volunteers, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the Smart Heart Act, legislation that requires automatic defibrillators in schools and establishes response protocols for cardiac-related medical emergencies. The bill received unanimous, bipartisan legislative support.

Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

This Simple Cooking with Heart tasty pork chop recipe with an Asian twist is a fast way to get a delicious and healthy dinner on your table tonight.

Give Thanks Today with 2X Impact

Thanks to medical breakthroughs funded by the American Heart Association – and donors like you – many families have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

Many more families still need your help – heart disease is our nation’s leading cause of death. Give today and your donation will be DOUBLED to support pioneering research, education and prevention programs and more.

Events in Your Area

40th Annual Knoxville Heart Ball

Location: The Mill and Mine

Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 06:00 PM

Get Tickets

Middle Tennessee Heart Gala

Location: Grand Hyatt

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025 - 05:30 PM

Register

Mid-South Heart Ball

Location: The Peabody Memphis

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025 - 05:30 PM

In Your Community

The Tennessee American Heart Association is committed to driving equitable health impact in the community through four priority areas: Hypertension, Tobacco & Vaping, Nutrition Security, and CPR and AED Awareness

Problem: Hypertension: Nearly 40% of of adults in Tennessee have high blood pressure 

  • Solution: The association is working with free clinics and community-based organizations throughout the Region to Establish blood pressure cuff loaner programs, and education and clinical referrals to at-risk populations.

Problem: Nutrition Insecurity: 1 in 9 people in Tennessee County live in a food desert. 800,970 people are facing hunger - and of them 197,490 are children.

  • Solution: AHA has strategically placed cold storage units at local food pantries and youth-based organizations across the region allowing more As a people to access nutritious fruits and vegetables each month.

Problem: CPR/AED Awareness: Counties located in the south with higher proportions of rural areas, Black and Hispanic residents, and those with lower median household incomes all have lower rates of CPR training than other communities.

  • Solution:  AHA is actively addressing this issue by offering Hands-Only CPR demonstrations to residents across Tennessee and donating CPR anytime Kits to schools, hospitals, and businesses in the region. Through these efforts, more individuals can join the Nation of Lifesavers, bridging the gap in CPR/AED awareness and improving community resilience.

Problem: Tobacco and Vaping: Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States.

  • Solution: we are working within schools and communities to teach our next generation about the dangers of smoking and vaping. We are also providing support for those who choose to quit.

AHA Advocates helped secure Tobacco 21 policy ensuring longer, quality lives for all Tennesseans.

We are fighting for longer lives in Tennessee by making the places where we live, learn, work, play, pray, and heal as healthy as they can be. It's no secret that under-resourced communities face great adversity and barriers that impact their heart health and overall well-being. 

With your support, we can expand our nutrition security, blood pressure management, and anti-smoking/vaping efforts so that more of our neighbors have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, health education, and medical care. Together we will tackle these issues head on, creating a healthier Tennessee for all.

Tennessee Lobby Day

On March 6th, advocates, legislators, and families affected by sudden cardiac arrest unite to rally support for Cardiac Emergency Response Plans in our schools. Tennessee Senator Joey Hensley and Representative Scott Cepicky lead the charge for the Smart Heart Act, urging colleagues to prioritize our children's health. Thanks to their efforts, the bill passed unanimously by the General Assembly, ensuring that every school campus across Tennessee has a cardiac emergency response plan in place to act swiftly when minutes matter most.

lobby day

President
Dr. Alison L. Bailey
Centennial Heart at Parkridge

Chair
Renee Ford
Elliott Davis

Chair Elect, Leadership Development Chair
Chris Hopkins

Apogee Wealth Partners

Members

Gregg T. Gentry
Erlanger Health System

Corinne Henderson
Henderson + Gardner, PLLC

Dr. Shewanee Howard-Baptiste
AHA Leadership Development Chair,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Dr. Quincy Jenkins
Chattanooga State Community College

Dr. Mary Lambert
City of Chattanooga

Twila Layne
We R CPR

Dr. Chris LeSar
AHA Immediate Past President,

Vascular Institute of Chattanooga

Dr. Harish Manyam
Erlanger Health System 

Pastor Ernest Reid
Second Missionary Baptist Church

Scott Rowe, PT
Encompass Health

Dr. Vimal Ramjee


President
Dr. Sumeet Sharma
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital

Chairperson
Tony Benton
Tennova Healthcare

Members

Andy Beam
Pinnacle Financial Partners

Jon-David Deeson
Covenant Health

Brett Foster
Knox County Schools

Dr. Malcolm Foster
Tennova Heart

Ryan Greer
Raymond James

Charles F. Lomax, Jr.
St. John Missionary Baptist Church 

Dr. Ayaz Rahman
Covenant Health

Cheryl Smith
CPR Choice

Marsha Spence, PhD, MPH, RDN, LDN
The University of Tennessee

Dr. Brian Wiseman, Past President
The University of Tennessee Medical Center


President
Andrea Willis, M.D.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee

Chair
Fahad Tahir
Ascension Saint Thomas

Leadership Development Chair
Tom Ozburn

Immediate Past Chair
Mike Wiechart
TeamHealth

Members

Gregory J. Allen
Greg Allen LLC

Katina Beard, MSPH
Matthew Walker Clinic

Tyler Enstice
GEODIS

Eric Evans
Surgery Partners

Lynn Friedrichs
Deloitte

William Haugh
Lifepoint Health

Penny Houchens
Gresham Smith

Veronica Mallett
Common Spirit Health

Tara Myers
ESA

Daniel Muñoz, M.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Evelio Rodriguez, MD
Ascension Saint Thomas Heart

Margaret Rush, M.D.
Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital

Joseph Webb, M.D.
Nashville Healthcare Center

Stephanie Wise
TriStar Division

Mark Yancy
Nashville Health


Chair
Andy Davis
Turner Construction Company

President
Dr. Cassandra Howard

Methodist Germantown Hospital 

Members

Steven Gubin, M.D.
Stern Cardiovascular Foundation

John Jefferies, M.D.
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center

Raaj Kurapati
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center

Roxanne McGonigal
Caesars Entertainment

Doug McGowen
Memphis Light Gas & Water

Angela Moss
First Horizon National Corporation

Robyn Sharp
International Paper

Manoucheka Thermitus, MBA
Regional One Health

Benjamin Rush Waller, MD
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital

Marques Young
Edward Jones

Jenny Bartlett- Prescott
Church Health


Contact Us

Chattanooga

By appointment only:
519 East 4th Street
Chattanooga, TN 37403

423-763-4400

Knoxville

By appointment only
4708 Papermill Drive
Knoxville, TN 37909

865-293-5100

Memphis

Mail-Only:
4728 Spottswood Avenue #214
Memphis, TN 38117

901-248-7950

Nashville

By appointment only:
1818 Patterson Street
Nashville, TN 37203

615-340-4100

Heart and Stroke News

Find science-based stories about heart and brain health and inspiring survivor profiles from American Heart Association News.