Tennessee is located in the eastern United States, with its state capital located in Nashville. Tennessee has 95 counties with its largest city, Memphis, located in the southwest corner of the state. Among the 50 states, Tennessee ranks 36th in size, covering 42,146 square miles. According to the 2000 Census, Tennessee ranks 16th in population with 5,689,283 residents, and the state's population is projected to increase by 8 percent through 2010.

Memphis is Tennessee's most heavily populated city with 11.4% of the state's population, and the Nashville metropolitan area includes over 20 percent of the state's population. Other significant population centers include Knoxville, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities, which include Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City. Tennessee's most heavily populated counties include Shelby (15.8%), Davidson (10.0%), Knox (6.7%), and Hamilton (5.4%).

Tennessee has a predominantly white population (80%) and has an African American population of 16%. The remaining population is made up of Hispanics (2%), Asians (1%), and Native Americans (0.3%). Tennessee's total population is projected to increase by 7% by 2010. The white population's share of Tennessee's total population is projected to decline from 80% in 2000 to 75% in 2010, with slight gains occurring in the black population, but more significant gains in the Hispanic/Latino and all other racial groups. Tennessee has an abundance of prime workforce-age residents, with nearly one-third of the state's population between the ages of 25 and 44, a higher percentage than the national average. (2000 U.S. Census and TN Regional Economic Development Center )

Demographics

Tennessee State and County Quick Facts - This resource from the U.S. Census Bureau provides summary profiles for frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available at the national, state, and county level.

Tennessee State Data Center - From the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research.

Statistics

Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts Online: Tennessee: At-A-Glance - This resource provides the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation.

Tennessee Department of Health - Health Statistics - Provides information on health facilities, health care professionals, and on the health status of Tennesseans.

Health Information Tennessee - A product of a partnership of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) and The University of Tennessee Community Health Research Group (UT CRG). This resource was designed as an interactive means of disseminating vital statistics, manpower, facilities, survey and other data collected by the TDH and reported on by the UT CHRG.

News Information

Tennessee State News and Information - Links to news releases listed alphabetically by state agency.

Tennessee Newspapers - A listing from the U.S. Newspaper List, providing links to Tennessee newspapers, radio stations, television stations and magazines.

Health Resources
(Information about Health Services Infrastructure)

Tennessee Department of Health

Library Information\

Libraries

Tennessee Public Library Directory - This searchable directory includes entries of over 300 public libraries in Tennessee, serving 95 counties.

Tennessee State Library and Archives

Regional Medical Library: University of Maryland Baltimore, Health Sciences Human Services Library

Resource Libraries in Tennessee:

East Tennessee State University

James H Quillen College of Medicine Medical Library
BOX 70693
Johnson City, TN 37614-0693
Phone: 423-439-8073
Fax: 423-439-8033

University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Health Sciences Library
877 Madison Avenue
Memphis, TN 38163-
Phone: 901-448-5404
Fax: 901-448-7235

Meharry Medical College
Library
1005 D B Todd Blvd
Nashville, TN 37208-3599
Phone: 615-327-6454
Fax: 615-327-6448

Vanderbilt University
Eskind Biomedical Library
2209 Garland Avenue
Nashville, TN 37232-8340
Phone: 615-936-1400

There are many fine local libraries in the network that provide health information and other services. For help finding a participating library click here.

Associations

Tennessee Library Association - The state chapter of the American Library Association whose purpose is to promote the establishment, maintenance, and support of adequate library services for all people of the state; to cooperate with public and private agencies with related interests; and to support and further professional interests of the membership of the Association.

Southern Chapter - Medical Library Association - A professional organization made up of health science librarians from the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Tennessee Health Science Library Association (THeSLA) - Provides education and communication among those responsible for health science libraries in Tennessee.

Knoxville Area Health Science Library Consortium - A consortium promoting better communication, sharing of resources, and continuing education among health sciences librarians in the Knoxville area.

Southern Appalachian Chapter - Special Libraries Association

Library School

University of Tennessee School of Information Studies
451 Communications Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-0341
Phone: 865-974-2148
Fax: 865-974-4967
Email: sis@utk.edu

Specific Populations

(General Resources, Tennessee Resources, African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American)

General Resources:

Office of Minority Health - A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services whose mission is to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities.

Minority Health - Sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, this resource provides links to Foundation reports as well as state-by-state statistical information.

Population Group Topics - This resource from the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus provides links to topic sheets for a number of population groups.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Status - A fact sheet on health disparities from the Centers for Disease Control.

Health Professional Shortage Areas - This resource from the HRSA Bureau of Health Professions defines the health professional shortage area designation criteria and offers database searching by state and county.

Minority Health Resources - A subject guide from the Health Sciences and Human Services Library with links to general and population-specific health information resources.

Tennessee Resources

Health Disparities in Tennessee- An overview of health disparities in Tennessee provided by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Health and Wellness Page for Tennessee - Links to health agencies and services in Tennessee.

Healthy Memphis Common Table - Coalition of organizations who are working together to improve the health of people in the mid-south.

Knoxville Oak Ridge Regional Network - An interactive portal to web-based resources, providing Internet communication services to non-profit organizations, and promoting access to information technology for a sixteen county region of East Tennessee

State of Tennessee Better Health: It's About Time Initiative - Facts sheets on prenatal care, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and infant mortality.

Tennessee 2-1-1 - serves as the central point of contact in five major Tennessee communities to link with appropriate social services agencies.

Tennessee License Verification - Provides information about licensing and practitioner profiles for physicians. There is also licensing information about other health-related occupations such as registered nurses.

Tennessee Licensed Health Facilities - Information about hospitals in Tennessee and other health-related facilities.

Tennessee Local Health Departments- Links to any county in Tennessee and contact information for the local health department's web sites.

Tennessee - Minority Health - A state health profile from the Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts Online.

Tennessee Office of Minority Health

African American

African American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about African Americans.

The Black Population in the United States - Detailed demographic information on the African American population from the U.S. Census Bureau.

African-American Health Resources - Links to African-American health resources compiled by the DHMH Health Disparities Initiative.

OMH Black Health Initiatives - Provides information on CBOs receiving funding from the TN Office of Minority Health that develop demonstration projects targeting African American youth.

Hispanic

Hispanic Population in the United States - Detailed demographic information on the U.S. Hispanic population from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Hispanic-American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about Hispanic-Americans.

National Alliance for Hispanic Health - This site includes information about the Alliance , health news, and other topics of interest. Resources on the site include Health Fact Sheets, Hispanic Health Needs Assessment, and Funding Leads.

Tennessee Hispanic Population Projections 2000-2010

Asian American

Asian and Pacific Islander Populations - Detailed demographic information on U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Asian-American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about people of Asian and Pacific Island descent.

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum Links and Resources - This site provides links to health organizations and programs for Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Native American

American Indian and Native Alaskan Populations - Detailed demographic information on U.S. American Indian and Native Alaskan populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Native American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about people of Native American descent.

Native Health Databases - Produced by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, the web site provides an extensive listing of American Indian health resources. It also includes links to pre-defined expert searches, health funding resources, health administration sites, consumer health sites, and Native American resources.

Indian Health Service - The IHS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that operates a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.6 million of the nation's estimated 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS Nashville Area Office coordinates services in the southern and eastern United States.

Additional Resources

The National Library of Medicine - The following NLM products may be useful to you and are available on the web at no cost: ClinicalTrials.gov , NLM Gateway , MedlinePlus , PubMed and TOXNET . A full listing of NLM's online resources is available on their Health Information page.

FedStats provides access to statistics prepared by over 100 federal agencies. Statistics are available on a state and community level.

FirstGov provides a search engine and topical indexes for US state and federal information. To search for information on a particular state, use the form in the upper left corner.

State and Local Government on the Net provides links to government information on a state and local level for the fifty states, as well as selected US-associated areas such as Guam.

RML State Contact

Sheila Snow-Croft, Outreach Education Coordinator ssnowcro@hshsl.umaryland.edu

Ms. Snow-Croft exhibits, teaches PubMed classes, and supports subcontracts and library improvement projects in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, District of Columbia, Maryland, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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