Air pollution is a global issue when it comes to longevity. In Shelby County, there are five air monitoring sites but not one in southwest Memphis, where residents have some of the area’s lowest life expectancies. 

The almost 20-year difference between estimated life expectancies across Shelby County is a product of differences in food, education, crime rates and access to all sorts of resources. 

For residents of one pocket of Binghampton, the average life expectancy is about 66 years. A few miles away, in East Memphis’ River Oaks, residents can expect to live about 18 years longer. 

Actor Joe Pantoliano, known for his Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on “The Sopranos,” will share his personal struggles with depression and his mental health advocacy work when he speaks at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s ninth annual Mental Health Breakfast. 

When Michelle Lewis’ water broke at Walmart Supercenter in West Memphis, she was taken to Regional One. “I’m lucky I ended up in Memphis,” said the new mom who’s often driving “in the middle of nowhere.”

For infants born with the infection, severe symptoms can include cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, permanent hearing loss and musculoskeletal deformity. 

Delta Dental adjoins the existing Dunn Dental Building at 875 Union Ave. Together, they make up the Delta Dental of Tennessee Oral Health Complex. 

Campbell Clinic, Martin, Tate, Morrow & Marston, P.C. and BLDG Memphis announce new additions. 

Signees of an open letter to Lee’s administration — drafted by a Memphis pediatrician — come from all over Tennessee, including Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Sewanee, Knoxville, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. 

Tim Fabian preferred to have a small team of trauma surgeons, which means everyone operates more and continues to get better, said Dr. Martin Croce, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Regional One Health.

Dorothy’s Cottage is named in memory of the late Dorothy Lee Wilson, wife of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, for her dedication to children and families. 

Arlington’s medical services grow as OrthoSouth opens its ninth clinic in the same medical complex as Baptist’s new emergency department that opened in January at 5150 Airline Road. 

The state-funded Healthy Smiles Initiative will tackle Tennessee’s shortage of dentists and work to make dental care more readily available.

Tennessee has been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, and Wednesday’s FDA decision clears the way for the life-saving drug Narcan to be sold directly to consumers at drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online. 

The Shelby County Health Department commissioned the cancer cluster study last fall to learn about historical cancer rates in a South Memphis neighborhood. 

A majority of the commission could greenlight a restructuring of the proposed capital budget County Mayor Lee Harris takes to the commission in April.

The agency will continue to post weekly COVID-19 updates on its website. 

During Michael Wiggins’ tenure, Le Bonheur opened its first pediatric inpatient unit in Jackson, Tennessee, began construction on a $95 million expansion in the Memphis Medical District, navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and celebrated Le Bonheur’s 70th birthday.

Shelby County Relative Caregiver Program has helped more than 9,000 children stay with family members — keeping them out of Tennessee’s foster care system, which has the highest rate of foster care instability in the country.

According to the 2021 Tennessee Diabetes Action Report, 13.8% of adults in the state have been diagnosed with diabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes accounts for 90%-95% of Tennessee’s diagnosed cases. 

Previous Communicator of the Year Award recipients include Liberty Bowl founder Bud Dudley, Cecil Humphreys, Linn Sitler, D’Army Bailey, Dr. Scott Morris, Fred Jones, Beverly Robertson, Otis Sanford, Penny Hardaway and Joe Birch.

The expansion comes as the CDC extends the timeframe for when sexual assault victims can receive a forensic exam.

“The opioid crisis affects every single person in Tennessee, even those who don’t have personal or family issues related to opioid misuse disorder.”

After actress Gilda Radner’s death, her husband, actor Gene Wilder, established Gilda’s Club in New York City to help people with cancer find support with their friends and family. On Wednesday, Methodist Cancer Institute opened the Memphis chapter.

St. Jude became the first fully integrated children’s hospital in the South, where Black and white patients were treated in the same room, dined together and shared bathroom facilities.