Josh Peterson

The Tennessee Department of Health is celebrating the lowest infant mortality rate in the state in three years. TDH data show there were 38 fewer infant deaths in the state in 2018 than in 2017. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a child before his or her first birthday, and is a critical indicator of the overall health of the state. 

“We’re encouraged by this progress in reducing infant mortality in Tennessee and recognize the important work across sectors that is addressing root causes of infant deaths,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Thirty-eight fewer infant deaths in 2018 will mean that two additional classrooms of Kindergarteners will have the chance to grow up in our great state.”

Tennessee’s infant mortality rate fell to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 from a rate of 7.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017 and 2016. Although the rate of infant deaths is declining in Tennessee, statistics show the need for enhanced efforts to improve birth outcomes. The state’s current infant mortality rate still exceeds the national rate of 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the rate of death of black infants continues to be nearly twice that of white infants.    

“Many factors contribute to a healthy birth and first year of life, including good health before a woman ever gets pregnant, early prenatal care, avoidance of tobacco and high-quality care during labor and delivery,” said TDH Deputy Commissioner for Population Health Morgan McDonald, MD, FACP, FAAP. “Immunizations, breastfeeding and other preventive care and safe practices for the baby such as using proper car seats and placing the baby to sleep alone on her back in a crib all help create an environment of health for the child.”

TDH has created a data dashboard to allow community partners to access infant mortality data for their region. The dashboard assists partners in implementing prevention activities based on the most common causes of infant death in their area. The dashboard can be accessed at https://data.tn.gov/t/Public/views/ChildFatalityDashboard/MainDashboard?iframeSizedToWindow=true&%3Aembed=y&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=no&%3AshowVizHome=no&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3Atabs=no&%3Atoolbar=no. 

Safe Sleep Saves Lives

Approximately 20 percent of infant deaths in Tennessee each year are due to unsafe sleeping conditions. Several hospitals and community agencies are educating parents and caregivers about safe sleep using TDH educational materials.

“We’re fortunate to have such strong partnerships with Tennessee hospitals and community agencies to promote safe sleep so families have the correct information, “said TDH Injury Prevention and Detection Director Rachel Heitmann, MS. “In addition to hospitals we have partnered with several housing authorities, churches, senior centers and other community organizations to educate parents and other caregivers about safe sleep for infants.”

Safe sleep practices can prevent SIDS and other sleep-related deaths of babies. The Tennessee Department of Health promotes the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that infants should:

•       Always be placed on their backs to sleep

•       Sleep alone in a crib or bassinet, which can be in the same room as an adult caregiver

•       Not have bumper pads, blankets, stuffed animals, toys or pets in their cribs

•       Sleep on a firm crib mattress with the mattress covered only by a fitted sheet

Learn more about safe sleep and order free TDH educational materials at http://safesleep.tn.gov.

Partnering for Prevention

While no single solution will prevent all infant deaths, TDH has partnered with hospitals and community organizations to reduce the risks of infant deaths through promotion of safe sleep practices, preconception health and prenatal care and reduction of early elective deliveries. TDH has joined the Tennessee Hospital Association to create the BEST for Tennessee Babies award. The BEST award is presented to hospitals annually to recognize their meeting criteria around breastfeeding, reducing early elective deliveries and safe sleep. 

TDH has worked with March of Dimes to implement the supportive pregnancy care group prenatal care model. TDH also works with providers and families to provide contraception when desired and plan pregnancies at healthy intervals for mothers and babies, as unintended pregnancies can sometimes have negative consequences including birth defects and low birth weight. 

Learn more about TDH programs and services for maternal and child health at www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/mch.html. 

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.

November is National Family Caregivers Month. And across Tennessee, thousands of grandparents are raising young children – a task many didn’t imagine they’d be undertaking at a later stage in life. But high rates of opioid addiction and overdose deaths have left a generation of children without parents. 

One such grandfather, Mitch, lives in Knox County. He retired five years ago and is now raising two grandchildren. He said grandparents in his situation need more resources. 

“There has to be some assistance with how do you do this,” Mitch said. “There’s a growing body of information on what they call ACEs – Adverse Childhood Experiences. So I think that a grandparent getting a child in circumstances like this needs to have some counseling available to them.”

Earlier this year, state legislators passed a law requiring that courts, at the time of issuing an order of custody or guardianship, inform grandparents or other relative caregivers of resources and funding that may be available through the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.

Mitch said he’s witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of opioid prescribing and illicit opioid use in his community. 

“Currently in Tennessee, it has been documented that there are 77,000 cases of grandparents raising grandchildren – and most of that is opioids,” he said. “So the impacts in this country are just going to grow, and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.”

He also pointed out that most grandparent caregivers don’t receive any financial assistance. 

“I’ve seen many instances where the grandparents were stretched thin financially before they took on the grandchildren,” he said. “Either through the tax system or through a direct subsidy, there should be some financial assistance for grandparents who are raising grandchildren.”

According to AARP, around 3 million grandparents nationwide are caring for grandchildren full-time.

Gas prices here in Manchester saw a 10 cent jump on average Monday as prices across the nation creep up. 

As of Monday, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Tennessee was $2.30 – the same as last week and five cents cheaper than a month ago. In Manchester prices are hovering between $2.33 and $2.39 as of Monday afternoon. 

The National average is now $2.60- which is about six cents lower than the same time last month. According to the latest report from the Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand numbers more closely mimic summer time demands than normal fall numbers. Last year, gas prices took a nose dive in November and December. In 2017 and 2016 prices saw a slight uptick in the final two months of the year. We will have to wait and see what will happen this year. 

A member of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department is taking a load off her paws and retiring. Jarka, a canine deputy with the department, retired on Friday with a ceremony at New Union Elementary School. 

Students at the school wrote letters to Jarka and some students were picked to read their letters out loud during the retirement ceremony. Jarka served eight years with the sheriff’s department. Her handler was David Grosch. The retirement of Jarka leaves the sheriff’s department with three active canine deputies on the force. 

The time dropped back an hour early Sunday morning. This is a good time to remind everyone to check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The Tennessee Department of Commerce recommends replacing batteries twice a year in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors unless you have smoke alarms with 10 year sealed batteries, which require the entire smoke alarm to be replaced when the alarm chirps.

With temperatures dipping lower at night this time of the year, this is the time when more fire’s are reported due to faulty heaters and misuse of space heaters. Remember to never leave a space heater unattended, inspect heaters for loose connections or frayed wires, and keep space heaters at least three feet away from combustable items. Other safety tips:

• Make sure your space heater has the label showing that it is listed by a recognized testing laboratory.
• Before using any space heater, read the manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels carefully.
• Inspect heaters for cracked or broken plugs or loose connections before each use. If frayed, worn or damaged, do not use the heater.
• Never leave a space heater unattended. Turn it off when you’re leaving a room or going to sleep, and don’t let pets or children play too close to a space heater.
• Space heaters are only meant to provide supplemental heat and should never be used to warm bedding, cook food, dry clothing or thaw pipes.
• Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home and outside all sleeping areas and test them once a month.
• Proper placement of space heaters is critical. Heaters must be kept at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including papers, clothing and rugs.
• Locate space heaters out of high traffic areas and doorways where they may pose a tripping hazard.
• Plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord or power strip, which could overheat and result in a fire. Do not plug any other electrical devices into the same outlet as the heater.
• Place space heaters on level, flat surfaces. Never place heaters on cabinets, tables, furniture, or carpet, which can overheat and start a fire.
• Always unplug and safely store the heater when it is not in use.

A home on Big Hill Road in neighboring Cannon County burned to the ground early Sunday morning. Cannon County Emergency Management Agency received the call at 5:48AM.

Firefighters from the Short Mountain Volunteer Fire Department reports that a male suffering from smoke inhalation was taken to St. Thomas Stones River Hospital. There were no other injuries.

The American Red Cross is helping those who were displaced by this Sunday morning’s blaze in Short Mountain.

WGNS Radio provided this report.

Manchester Police need your help identifying someone who allegedly broke into a used car dealership in the early morning hours of Oct. 30. If you have any information about this break in, you should contact Manchester Police Department investigator Trey Adcock at 931-728-2099.