Josh Peterson

By Nadia Ramlagan, Tennessee Public News Service

Earlier this year, the Tennessee General Assembly unanimously passed legislation creating the first Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Advisory Council, and the council now wants input from residents to help identify what resources are needed most. 

Rachel Blackhurst, director of public policy and advocacy for the Tennessee chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, says around a half-million people in the state are either living with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone with the disease.

“Do they need more help with direct care services, do they see an issue with long-term care or doctors needing more trainings on how to deal with an Alzheimer’s patient?” she raises. “We want to make sure we’re getting the input of the people who are dealing with it in the state.”

The Alzheimer’s Advisory Council was formed as a response to the state’s high rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

Tennessee has the fourth highest death rate from Alzheimer’s disease in the nation.

There is currently no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and Blackhurst points outs the burden is falling heaviest on caregivers.

“There’s a lot of data out there that Alzheimer’s is one of the most feared diseases, so if you’ve yet to experience Alzheimer’s in a personal way, you know, caring for a family member, what are you worried about when you think about the future?” she states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that the number of people living with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. will triple to nearly 14 million by 2060. 

Blackhurst says more states are viewing dementia as a public health issue.

“On a national level, I would say the major trend would be toward working with public health,” she states.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there’s been a more than 200% increase in Alzheimer’s-related deaths in Tennessee since 2000. 

The state’s Medicaid program, TennCare, estimates that this year the cost of taking care of people with Alzheimer’s was more than $1 billion.

In Tennessee, approximately 18,000 people are living with HIV, and 760 of them were newly diagnosed in 2018. The Tennessee Department of Health is working to increase access to preventive medication and empower HIV-positive Tennesseans to seek and stay engaged in HIV care. As part of this effort to end the HIV epidemic in Tennessee, TDH is joining the “Undetectable Equals Untransmittable” or “U=U” campaign.

“While Tennessee’s rate of new HIV diagnoses is similar to the national rate, some areas of our state still see rates far beyond the national average,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “We continue to employ new tools and proven strategies to address this health challenge, and with focused efforts and commitment from Tennesseans, we can end this epidemic.” 

According to CDC numbers in 2017, the southern region of the United States, which includes Tennessee, accounted for 52 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the country, followed by the West at 19 percent and the Northeast at 16 percent.

Undetectable Equals Untransmittable

The “Undetectable Equals Untransmittable” or “U=U” campaign promotes the message that individuals with HIV who get medication and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus. This message is vital to combatting HIV-related stigma and empowering people to enter and remain engaged in HIV care. TDH is leading the way by becoming one of the first state health departments in the South to become a U=U community partner. Learn more about U=U at www.preventionaccess.org/.

“The most important thing someone living with HIV can do to stay healthy and prevent transmission of HIV is to be treated with medications on an ongoing basis,” said Pamela Talley, MD, MPH, medical director of the TDH HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis section. “The science is clear. Numerous studies have shown that people living with HIV who take their medications as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV.”

Nearly half of all people living with HIV in the United States live in the South. While other regions of the U.S. have seen a decline in the rate of new HIV diagnoses over the last several years, rates among Southern states have remained stable. 

Treatment Reduces Transmission Risk

Those who test negative for HIV and are sexually active can stay negative through proven prevention methods. Daily medication known as “PrEP” can reduce transmission of the virus to HIV-negative people by up to 99 percent. TDH continues to expand PrEP availability and use across the state. Learn more and find a prescriber by visiting getpreptn.com. 

Know Your Status

Everyone living in Tennessee can play an important role in ending the HIV epidemic by knowing their HIV status. Almost half of all new HIV transmission occurs among people who are unaware they have the virus. Testing is the first step to maintaining a healthy life and reducing the spread of HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends every person over the age of 13 should be tested for HIV at least once. Tennesseans can find free and confidential HIV testing at their local health department or by visiting gettested.cdc.gov.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.