Meharry Medical College is advancing its work to eliminate global health inequities by establishing the first School of Global Health in the United States.

Dr. James Hildreth, president and CEO of Meharry, and Daniel Dawes, JD, DHL, senior vice president and executive director of the Meharry Institute of Global Health Equity, made the announcement on the first day of the American Public Health Association’s 2023 annual meeting and expo in Atlanta.

The School of Global Health at Meharry will foster collaboration among emerging health leaders, allowing them to strategize beyond conventional boundaries to protect vulnerable, underserved and under-resourced communities around the world. Meharry has begun the process to recruit faculty, engage partners and secure accreditation for the School of Global Health, and anticipates beginning to enroll students in the fall of 2024.

The school is an outgrowth of the Institute of Global Health Equity, which Meharry launched in February. The Meharry board of trustees unanimously approved Meharry establishing the School of Global Health at a meeting in October.

Zillow: Demand remains high despite rates, season

Despite mortgage rates reaching 23-year highs, low inventory levels are spurring surprisingly strong competition, according to Zillow’s latest market report. Depleted inventory stocks are gradually recovering and price appreciation is slowing, but demand has remained resilient and attractive, appropriately priced listings are moving quickly.

“With mortgage rates nearing 8% in October, the U.S. housing market continues to turn cooler, with inventory rising and appreciation decelerating. As interest rates rose, some pent-up sellers appear to have been shaken free of waiting for rates to drop. New listings have nearly escaped the red annually and are trending out of a mortgage rate lock-induced hole,” says Skylar Olsen, Zillow chief economist. “A record number of households in prime homebuying ages are providing buyers, despite the headwinds.”

The key number for any potential buyer or seller is the mortgage rate, which marched skyward through October and finished the month near 8%. Rate hikes pushed monthly payments on a typical U.S. home up by more than 4% from September to October. At $1,991, monthly payments are up almost 10% compared to October 2022 and have nearly doubled in two years.

The Zillow Home Value Index puts the typical U.S. home value at $347,972, up 2.3% from last year. A 0.3% monthly decline in values in October is a tad steeper than the 0.1% dip from August to September, and shows a slightly faster deceleration than pre-pandemic norms.

Home values fell in October in 40 of the top 50 markets, with the largest declines in Austin (-1.5%), Minneapolis (-1%) and New Orleans (-1%). The largest monthly growth was in sunny (and costly) Miami (0.5%), San Jose (0.4%) and San Diego (0.2%).

VUMC: Expect holiday flu season ramp-up

The current flu season has started later and more gradually than last year, according to William Schaffner, M.D., professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, although cases are expected to begin increasing in November before falling off in March.

“It is very difficult to predict how this flu season will be,” Schaffner says. “But there’s one thing for certain – there will be a flu season.”

During this gentle ramp-up, there is some additional cause for optimism: With the earliest cases already beginning, physicians have determined that the flu vaccine seems to be a good match for current viral strains.

“Vaccination remains a safe and reliable therapy at combating the spread and severity of illness caused by influenza,” says Jeffrey Barton, a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) physician assistant at VUMC.

However, the rates of flu vaccination among the general public are declining, which may lead to a more severe spread. Some patients require further education to debunk myths and understand the importance of getting vaccinated. The most common concerns among patients are safety and whether the vaccine is a good enough match to even be worth it, Schaffner says.

“The flu vaccine isn’t perfect,” he adds, “but it prevents severe disease. Yes, it is safe. Your arm might be sore, and some people may feel tired, but that is just your body responding to the vaccine.”

Puttshack sets Nov. 24 opening

Puttshack, the upscale tech-infused mini golf experience, has announced a Nov. 24 opening date for its first Nashville location.

Spanning 28,000 square feet at 138 12th Avenue North, the site of the former Gibson Guitar location, Puttshack Nashville promises an exceptional and memorable experience for visitors of all ages.

This new location showcases a host of exciting features:

• Live Entertainment: A dedicated stage for live music and a DJ booth, ensuring that the entertainment never stops.

• Cutting-Edge Mini Golf: Four 9-hole courses are powered by Puttshack’s leading patented Trackaball technology, engineered within Puttshack’s golf balls – transforming the mini golf experience with seamless automated scoring and bonus point opportunities.

• Upscale Flavors: With two full-service bars and an extensive shareable menu, guests can savor Puttshack’s signature handcrafted cocktails while they play, or fuel up for the big game with globally-inspired bites.

• Exclusive Event Spaces: The venue offers both private and semiprivate event spaces with flexible capacity, customizable food & beverage packages, and expert planning assistance — accommodating a range of group sizes and preferences.

Puttshack will be open to the public Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-midnight., and Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Children are welcome until 8 p.m., after which it is restricted to 21 and older.

Barge Design acquires Florida-based firm

Barge Design Solutions, a Nashville-based engineering and architecture firm, has acquired Environmental Consulting & Design, a Florida-based consulting firm specializing in environmental permitting, land planning, mitigation banking, land management and geospatial services.

Founded in 1994, EC&D offers a range of environmental consulting and ecology services, ranging from site selection through permitting, construction, and compliance. The firm’s efforts have helped preserve thousands of acres of land, promoting biodiversity across the state of Florida.

Dreamliner absorbs Hemphill Bros. Coaches

Dreamliner Luxury Coaches, the leading provider of upscale travel coaches for the entertainment industry’s most high-profile artists, announced that it has acquired Hemphill Brothers Coach Company, a purchase that nearly triples Dreamliner’s fleet to 190 coaches.

The Nashville-based company, founded just three years ago, is now the largest provider of entertainer coaches in the world.

Through this acquisition, Dreamliner’s best-in-class coaches now cater to a combined client roster that includes Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Drake, Jonas Brothers, Chris Stapleton, Olivia Rodrigo, Zach Bryan and more, who appreciate the brand for its dedication to high-end furnishings and custom layouts.

Each of Dreamliner’s 190 coaches will feature the brand’s signature luxury amenities, offering high-touch design and state-of-the-art finishes.

According to Dreamliner CEO Jeremy Maul, the acquisition will result in the company’s ability to service more than 50% of the larger arena and stadium tours in the United States and Canada. “As we further our goal of redefining the art of tour travel, we will leverage the strengths and experience at the heart of both Dreamliner and Hemphill to become the industry’s largest and most sought-after resource for high-end tour coaches,” he says.

In addition to Dreamliner’s entertainment capabilities, the company offers luxury coaches for executive meetings and trips, brand activations and private events.

XSOLIS growth noted via Deloitte Fast 500

XSOLIS, the artificial intelligence (AI) technology company creating a more efficient health care system, announced it has been recognized on the 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 500.

The list recognizes companies that have achieved a growth rate of 200% or higher as a celebration that tech companies are thriving even amid challenging economic times.

XSOLIS’ platform, CORTEX, provides a shared framework for payers and providers to help streamline workflows and enable a frictionless health care system. Leveraging AI and machine learning, CORTEX analyzes real-time clinical patient data for increased data-driven decision-making and collaboration while reducing administrative waste.

XSOLIS has expanded its head count to nearly 300 employees in 2023 to support the growing demand for its technology, including a 177% increase in payer connections and a 55% increase in hospital partnerships.

HCA honored for veterans employment

HCA Healthcare, Inc. announced it has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as a Best for Vets Employer by Military Times.

This recognition highlights the efforts that HCA Healthcare makes to recruit, retain and support current and former service members, military spouses and military caregivers. Since 2012, HCA Healthcare has hired more than 60,000 veterans, active-duty and reserve personnel and military spouses.

The Military Times 2023 Best for Vets: Employers ranking is an editorially independent, highly respected analysis of the policies and practices that make companies an attractive place to work for both current employees and future job seekers within the military community.

Everything Tradeshows opens Nashville location

Everything Tradeshows, a company with 25-plus years of experience designing, building, and servicing trade show booths across the United States and internationally, has opened a new location in Nashville.

The company’s new office in Nashville coincides with the company’s current expansion of its footprint across the U.S., a strategic move that allows Everything Tradeshows to cater more closely to its clients in the Southern region by offering businesses a range of expert, localized services, such as trade show booth rental in Nashville, trade show booth design and turnkey trade show booth rental.

Turnkey trade show booth rentals provided by Everything Tradeshows are designed to focus on the specific values of each business the company partners with to create unique experiences for their potential customers in the most efficient way possible.