Mike Carter, attorney for the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority, told county commissioners Wednesday that the authority may have to hire a contractor to do some work for them.

A new autism center in Chattanooga will be led primarily by parent volunteers who have first-hand knowledge of the needs of children and adults with the disability, organizers said.

A drug- and insurance-assistance program for people with HIV and AIDS in Tennessee has reached its capacity, due both to growing financial strife for many living with the disease and an increase in HIV diagnoses, health officials said Monday.

In Tennessee and Georgia, manufacturers and vendors of medical devices such as wheelchairs, heart stents and prosthetic legs are objecting to a proposed tax on the industry.

After Hutcheson Medical Center officials ended a contract with United Healthcare this summer because of low payment rates, the insurer is back at the negotiation table, the hospital’s CEO said.

Less than two months after Life Care Center of Chattanooga closed its doors following a violation-ridden state inspection report, the nursing home's parent company has donated the now-vacant facility to Hamilton County.

Diverse groups working to promote healthy lifestyles in Tennessee must work together instead of pursuing their individual programs, a health advocate said Tuesday.

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department has received 600 more doses of injectable H1N1 vaccine after its first round of swine flu shots quickly was depleted last week.

After decades of struggling with her weight, Kathy Freeman, at nearly 300 pounds, finally made the decision to get weight-loss surgery at Erlanger hospital last year.

Erlanger hospital's top seven executives pocketed more than $472,000 in bonus pay this month, based on the hospital's performance last year.

The seasonal flu vaccine is now in short supply, thanks to a surge of early demand for vaccinations fueled by concerns about the H1N1 flu, according to local providers.

The obstetrics and gynecology residency program at the UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga is facing a probationary period following a review from the national body responsible for accrediting residency programs, the school's dean said Thursday.

Getting along with physicians will play a bigger role next year in the performance evaluation of Erlanger hospital's CEO, according to a decision by the hospital's management and board evaluation committee.

An Erlanger trustee did nothing wrong by questioning hospital employees during a tour of one of the hospital's campuses, hospital board Chairman Charles Longer said Monday.

More patients who were unable to pay their bills and stagnant admissions contributed to a $169,000 September loss for Erlanger hospital, an official said Monday.

Local physicians said health care reform proposals to expand Medicaid coverage drastically, while well-intentioned, are likely unsustainable.

DALTON, Ga. — Hamilton Medical Center’s incoming CEO knows that he’s taking over leadership of the 282-bed hospital at a challenging time for the hospital industry.

DALTON, Ga. — Jeff Myers, the new chief executive officer of Hamilton Medical Center, spoke recently with the Times Free Press about his new job.

An Erlanger hospital trustee, who said he won't apologize for asking tough questions, is scheduled to meet with the hospital president and board chairman to discuss complaints against him from hospital employees, according to e-mails obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

After three confirmed swine flu-related deaths in Hamilton County, local health officials are renewing their plea with the public to be treated with the new H1N1 vaccine.

Earlier this year, Louella Wesley called three oral surgeons to ask about getting her 86-year-old husband's decaying and aching teeth pulled, only to learn that she couldn't afford the procedures.

Ongoing mosquito surveillance has identified West Nile Virus among a pool of mosquitoes in Hamilton County.

Five years ago, 37 people had a death sentence commuted to a chance for life.

Though the nation's stretched health care system needs a massive overhaul, the possibility of broad reform at times seems out of reach, said a local physician.

North Georgia health officials are ready for lines out the door today as they begin offering doses of H1N1 vaccine.

Health departments in the 10-county Northwest Georgia Public Health district have received a total of 3,500 doses of H1N1 nasal spray vaccine and will begin making them available to healthy children aged 2 to 4 on a walk-in basis Thursday.

State agencies have made strides in lowering the number of children in state custody and finding permanent homes for foster children, according to a report released Tuesday.

Some health care workers here and across the nation are chafing at pressure — and in some cases, mandates — to get vaccinated for influenza.

Tennessee and Georgia are two of 25 states that will use federal money to tackle the nation's obesity epidemic with greater coordination and precision.

The death last week of an apparently healthy 7-year-old from H1N1 influenza has shaken area parents.

After viewing dozens of submitted videos, local personal trainers have selected 12 finalists for Chattanooga's weight-loss competition based on the reality TV show "The Biggest Loser."

DALTON, Ga. -- A 7-year-old girl from Whitfield County died Wednesday morning from H1N1 flu, officials said.

Ashley Herrick was just 12 years old and 100 pounds overweight when she — somewhat nervously — joined Weight Watchers for the first time.

For three years, Rachel Farmer, of Dalton, Ga., spent most mornings in the bathroom, nauseated and unable to keep down most foods.

Erlanger hospital's Kidney Transplant Center celebrated its 20th birthday today.

Confident that she could walk into her dream job as a pediatric nurse immediately after getting her nursing degree, Christy Paris left a job she loved to start nursing school two years ago.

A local take on the TV's "Biggest Loser" contest won't include any yelling or crying, which pops out a lot on reality show, but there won't be any shortage of intensity, one of the contest's trainers said.

A Hamilton Health Care System search committee has chosen a local as its new CEO.

Erlanger hospital's CEO emphasized Thursday that the hospital's $1.7 million loss in August was due in part to fewer trauma cases for the month, as well as extra labor costs as the hospital trains health care workers for the winter flu season.

Many parents are hesitant to talk about food choices with their kids for fear of making children preoccupied with their weight.

When she found out she was pregnant at age 17, Kyndra Bell thought of her teenage classmates who already had children and those who felt too "ashamed" to seek out the proper prenatal care.

In a state that ranks 45th in terms of infant mortality, Hamilton County has the second-worst infant death rate out of all Tennessee counties, second only to Shelby County.

Among children, an alarming rise in obesity has health advocates and physicians concerned for what lies ahead.

In a sweeping turnaround, Erlanger hospital brought in more than $10 million during the fiscal year that ended in June, compared with the $15 million loss that saddled the hospital the year before, according to a

Forever changed by the loss of a child to cancer, four Chattanooga families have dedicated themselves to addressing the gaps in resources they encountered while grappling with the disease.

With two older brothers, Emily Ransom learned early to hang with the boys.

Six years passed between the time Jane Kaylor's daughter Lori was diagnosed with leukemia in 1978 and her little girl's death at age 9.

Knowing time was short, that they might only have days left with their infant son whose brain and spinal cord were riddled with tumors, the Osborns held Hatch in their arms for hours on end.

Jim and Cindy Webster treasure the memories of their daughter Lana Beth smiling at Lookouts baseball games, trips to the Tennessee Aquarium and amusement parks, even as she battled neuroblastoma.

Though a bill to force chain restaurants to display calorie counts stalled in Tennessee last year, and no similar bills have been introduced in Georgia, a consensus is growing nationally between the restaurant industry and health advocates.