New health hubs offer Tennesseans a path to wellness | Opinion
Dr. Peter Buckley and Danielle Gray
Guest Columnists
Aug. 10, 2026, 5:07 a.m. CT
- Health hubs in Tennessee provide preventive care and health coaching to underserved communities.
- A partnership between UnitedHealth Group and UT Health Sciences has helped thousands of residents lower their blood pressure and blood sugar.
- A new $4 million commitment will expand the program to 13 locations, aiming to reach over 200,000 people by 2027.
- The program focuses on building trust through local health coaches who provide personalized support and education.
When Amber Covington first came to the ShelbyCares Health Hub, her A1C — a measure of average blood sugar — was 12.9, a level indicating diabetes. But after working with certified health coach Belinda Gray, Amber’s A1C was down to 7.3, a big step on her journey to improve her health
Scotts Hill resident Sheila Hopper has a similar story. Her A1C was 11.1 when she first met Stephanie McCready, lead health coach at TennesseeCares Health Hubs in Hardin and Decatur counties, about two hours east of Memphis. Hopper worked closely with McCready to make challenging, critical changes – better diet, more exercise, and regular monitoring. Now her A1C is also on the way down
This is what better health looks like in West Tennessee: frontline health coaches with training, technical skills and — above all — a deep understanding of their communities, building trust and helping their neighbors live healthier lives. Four years ago, UnitedHealth Group partnered with the University of Tennessee Health Sciences to establish the first health hub in Memphis, offering essential preventive care including health screening, health coaching, safe exercise groups, cooking classes, diabetes education, and support for healthy eating and <a href="https://healthylife7.com/watch-swamp247s-graham-hall-attempts-florida-te-heze-kents-weight-loss-workout/" title="Watch: Swamp247's Graham Hall attempts Florida TE Heze Kent's weight loss workout”>weight loss in easy-to-access community locations. We worked with Shelby County, community leaders, Memphis foundations, and other supporters and donors to expand locations across Memphis, then took the model to rural Hardin and Decatur counties.
Across our five health hubs, we’ve served more than 4,000 people through more than 20,000 visits. The results have been substantial: more than half of participants have lowered their blood pressure, which reduces risk of heart attacks and strokes, and average blood glucose levels have decreased by 12%, lowering the risk of diabetes and its complications
That matters for the thousands of people we’re honored to serve at our TennesseeCares Health Hubs. Community-based approaches are urgently needed to help people prevent and manage chronic disease across Tennessee. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack; roughly 16,000 of those happen in Tennessee each year. More than 800,000 Tennesseans have diabetes and nearly that many have been diagnosed with prediabetes. More than 40 percent of people in Tennessee have high blood pressure.
The key is preventing chronic conditions and managing them effectively when they occur. The good news is that we know what works. Health coaches like Belinda Gray and Stephanie McCready have shown us the way; Amber Covington and Sheila Hopper and thousands of other Tennesseans are the proof. The challenge is taking what has worked in urban and rural areas of West Tennessee and scaling it to more communities across the state. This is consistent with the Tennessee Department of Health’s leadership in the rural Health Transformation initiatives.
A new $4 million commitment, with funding from the United Health Foundation and technical assistance from UnitedHealth Group, will help expand health hubs to 13 locations across Tennessee. By the end of 2027, we will be able to reach more than 200,000 people in medically underserved communities. This investment will also support UT Health Sciences College of Nursing and UT Health Sciences College of Medicine to advance career pathways in rural areas, helping bring more physician assistants, nurse practitioners, midwives, doulas, community health workers, and health coaches to parts of the state where care is sparse. The goal is to bring preventive care, health education, and support closer to where people live. The vision is compelling: Healthy Tennesseans and Thriving Communities. The outcome is stronger through partnerships.
The key lesson in partnerships from the health hubs is simple: human connection. Health coaches are trusted members of the community who know their neighbors by name, listen to their stories, understand their needs, and walk alongside them to address the key drivers of health: access to healthy food and safe places to exercise, consistent monitoring and support, and meeting people where they are. One participant said, “I could share things with my health coach I wouldn’t share with my doctor.”
Our vision is for health hubs to be an integrated resource within Tennessee’s broader healthcare system, closing gaps where access is limited and supporting existing providers with more capacity where care is offered. Health systems in other states are looking at this model for lessons they can apply to their own community health programs. UnitedHealth Group, through its Communities of Health initiative, has committed $20 million from the United Health Foundation in 2026 to start scaling local health solutions like this across the country.
The health hubs reinforce that healthcare works best when people connect directly with one another and trust the care they receive, shifting focus from treating illness to a proactive culture of preventive well-being across a community. By expanding health hubs and strengthening the workforce across Tennessee, we’re improving health today while building a stronger, more sustainable healthcare system for the future
Dr. Peter Buckley is the chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Sciences. Danielle Gray is executive vice president at UnitedHealth Group and chair of the United Health Foundation
