Knox County fares well in the County Health Rankings, ranking 11th among the 95 counties in Tennessee in health outcomes, defined as the length and quality of life, and 2nd in health factors, including health behaviors, clinical care, socioeconomic factors, and the physical environment.
Those rankings do not reflect two important concerns:
Overall Tennessee is a relatively unhealthy state, with a ranking of 42 among the 50 states. Within Knox County, there are subpopulations that fare far worse than other subpopulations. The differences between top-performing groups of people in Knox County and the East Tennessee region and those with poor performance, is significant. We call these differences health disparities.
Dr. Carole Myers of the University of Tennessee College of Nursing speaks with Dr. Keith Gray, board-certified surgical oncologist and Chief Medical Officer of the University of Tennessee Medical Center.