The Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure and Micromobility Providers Bird, Lime and Spin are partnering on Nashville’s first e-bike pilot program this week.

The pilot program includes areas of west and south of downtown Nashville. Companies will utilize geofencing technology to ensure bikes remain in pilot areas.

Additionally, NDOT has recently installed 24 new bike racks in the right-of-way to encourage responsible use of the dockless technology. The department will be working with companies to educate users about bike rack locations and promote the return of e-bikes to designated areas utilizing geofencing.

The pilot will begin with the placement of 75 bikes in the pilot area. The companies will work with the city to address any issues that emerge as the multi-month pilot period progresses. During the pilot time, data will be captured and assessed to determine ways to enhance dockless e-bike implementation across Nashville.

Map of locations

TN nets $6M in broadband grants

Tennessee has received $6 million in federal grants to plan for the expansion of access to high-speed internet networks.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the funding Monday. It is part of a $65 billion Biden administration investment to connect all Americans to broadband networks.

The Tennessee funding includes $4.9 million for development of a five-year plan identifying the state’s broadband access, affordability, equity and needs; research and data collection; publications and communications support, and providing technical assistance through workshops and events.

The state was given an additional $1.1 million for various activities, including development of a statewide digital equity plan, consulting work, community and stakeholder engagement, and report distribution.

13 TN inmates receive degrees

Thirteen Tennessee inmates will receive degrees from Lipscomb University during a graduation ceremony.

The graduation for the Lipscomb Initiative for Education took place Thursday at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center.

Two women will graduate with associate’s degrees of arts, three with professional studies bachelor’s degrees and eight with their master’s degree in Christian ministry.

Additionally, five outside students who studied alongside graduate students inside the prison for four years will receive master’s degrees in Christian ministry.

The inmates were taught face-to-face by university professors and studied side-by-side with traditional Lipscomb undergraduates at the prison once a week.

Many of the graduating women have been studying for a decade. For four of the master’s candidates, it has been 15 years.

This marks the fifth group of inmates to receive degrees through the program since its inception in 2007.

TSSAA votes to allow NIL deals

The rule-making arm of Tennessee’s high school sports oversight organization has made a change that allows student athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

A news release from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association says its legislative council voted for the change Dec. 8, effective immediately.

Students could receive payment as long as it is not related to their performance, doesn’t suggest the endorsement or sponsorship of their school and doesn’t include the student in gear featuring the name or logo of their school. The change also says student athletes can get paid for giving lessons.

Nineteen other states allow high school athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness without affecting their eligibility to play in college.

The changes have meant elite prep athletes are now banking six and even seven figures before heading to college.

The wave of new rules allowing high schoolers to cash in on endorsements and other deals follows a decision by the NCAA in June 2021 that cleared the way for the deals for college athletes.

7 TN counties getting health project grants

Health officials say seven Tennessee counties will receive a total of $1.8 million for projects to improve mental and physical health in distressed and underserved communities.

Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Morgan McDonald said in a news release Thursday that the grants “will support collaborative, locally-led efforts to address health disparities that not one health department, health care provider, or government agency can resolve acting on its own.”

The grants target health improvements for low-income, minority and rural populations, the health department said.

Officials said Perry County will get $500,000 for construction of a facility providing youth mental health services; Lawrence County will receive $485,000 for a pavilion to house a farmers market and exercise facility; and Dyer County will get $440,000 for mental health counseling and substance misuse services with the Hopefield Mental Health Foundation.

Meanwhile, Hickman County will receive $250,000 to support mental health and substance misuse programs at community centers; Monroe County will get $50,000 to educate students on benefits of locally grown fruits and vegetables; Davidson County will receive $50,000 to study food availability and food insecurity in North Nashville; Williamson County will get $25,000 for suicide prevention and crisis intervention training.

AG: State nets $13M from Juul settlement

Tennessee’s attorney general says the state will get $13 million from a nearly $440 million settlement with electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs spread among 33 states and Puerto Rico.

In a news release, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says the agreement helps ensure JUUL won’t engage in certain marketing practices. It also restricts sales and distribution.

JUUL’s vaping products have long been blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

Connecticut announced the deal in September. States joined in 2020 to probe JUUL’s early promotions and claims about the benefits of its technology as a smoking alternative.

Ross to lead TN National Guard

Gov. Bill Lee has picked Brigadier General Warner A. Ross II to lead the Tennessee National Guard.

A governor’s office news release says Ross will serve as adjutant general and commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Military beginning Jan. 21.

He will replace Major General Jeff Holmes, who will retire after 43 years of military service.

Ross serves as the Tennessee National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General, Army. Ross has 32 years of military service and began his career as an infantry rifleman at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1990.

He was assigned to Infantry, Field Artillery and Cavalry branches across the Tennessee Army National Guard. He was most recently assigned as Commander of the 194th Engineer Brigade.

Ross earned a master’s degree in strategic studies at the Army War College, a master’s in education at Freed-Hardeman University and bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Mississippi.

Mindray expands Nashville presence

Mindray, a global developer of health care technologies and solutions for patient monitoring, anesthesia and ultrasound, celebrated the grand opening of their newly-expanded Nashville Experience Center.

Established more than 10 years ago, the Nashville Experience Center is an important pillar in the Mindray story, aligning with the company’s mission to “advance medical technologies to make health care more accessible.”

The expansion of the Nashville Experience Center includes new mock OR and ICU suites that are used as a showroom and also a readily available resource for Mindray’s partners.

Hospital groups, clinicians and other health care professionals can visit the new Nashville Experience Center to connect, explore Mindray’s newest solutions, and even benefit from hands-on training with Mindray’s entire portfolio of innovative products.

Mindray’s Nashville Experience Center is located at 741 Cool Springs Boulevard in Franklin.

HCA partners with Musicians On Call

HCA Healthcare, Inc. and Musicians On Call, a nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients, families and caregivers in health care environments, announced a new collaboration to bring MOC’s live music programs to more hospitals across the country.

As part of the collaboration, HCA Healthcare is giving $1 million to fund the creation and launch of MOC’s proprietary online platform designed to enhance its program delivery to enable the organization to reach more hospital patients and health care workers nationwide.

The online platform will help make MOC’s in-person and virtual programs more accessible to hospitals and help enable hospital patients and volunteers to easily connect to MOC’s programs. This initiative aims to transform how the healing power of music is used to improve the patient experience and make live music in a health care facility truly “on call.”

Study shows fewer uninsured children in TN

The uninsured rate for children in Tennessee declined for the second straight year to just 2.3% for 2022 – the lowest reported percentage since 2018, according to a new study by the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee.

“The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients, 2022” also shows that the overall percentage of uninsured Tennesseans is trending toward pre-pandemic levels, falling to 7.5% for 2022.

This decrease represents more than 42,000 people who have gained health care coverage since 2021. The uninsured rate for adults dropped from 9.9% in 2021 to 9% this year.

Among TennCare recipients, 95% indicated they are happy with the program’s quality of care, marking the 14th straight year in which satisfaction with TennCare exceeded 90%. Those surveyed also said they are happy with the care their children received.