Southeast Tennessee Project Access

Men continue to experience higher rates of preventable illness and premature death. In the U.S., men die on average 6 years earlier than women, often from conditions that are preventable or manageable with early detection and consistent care. This gap underscores the importance of education, awareness, and
proactive engagement.

Men’s health awareness includes, but is not limited to:
- Heart disease and stroke, leading causes of death among men
- Prostate and testicular cancers, where early detection improves outcomes
- Colorectal and lung cancers, which disproportionately impact men
- Diabetes and metabolic conditions, often linked to preventable risk factors
- Mental health issues, depression/suicide, where men face higher mortality rates
- Substance use disorders, contributing to preventable deaths
- Workplace-related injuries and safety concerns
- Healthy aging and chronic disease management across the lifespan

Improving men’s health outcomes requires a comprehensive approach that promotes preventive screenings, early intervention, mental and emotional well-being, and open health conversations. It also requires recognizing men not only as patients, but as caregivers, partners, fathers, mentors, and community leaders.

This Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, do the

First, check your skin from head to toe. Look for anything new, changing or unusual. Then, post a photo or video of your skin check and share it online with the hashtag .

Truly, health is our greatest wealth. To all our doctors, nurses, and donors who dedicate their time and resources to those in need—thank you for giving the gift of health.

This April we were able to feed more children in our community through our Emergency Food Box Program.

National Women’s Health Week 2026 reflects an important shift in how women’s health is understood, supported, and advanced. Increasingly, care is moving toward a more proactive, connected, and science-driven approach—one that prioritizes early action, incorporates new discoveries, and ensures those advances translate into meaningful improvements in everyday health. This evolving model recognizes that better outcomes are achieved not through isolated moments of care, but through continuous, informed engagement across the lifespan.

The four focus areas include:

- Prevention & Early Detection Across the Lifespan
- Sex-Specific Biology and Hormonal Foundations of Women's Health
- Chronic Disease, Midlife Health, Aging, & Longevity
- Innovation, Translation, & the Future of Women's Health

To read more about Women's Health Week, follow the link: https://womenshealth.gov/nwhw/focus-areas

We continued to serve our community and our patients this April. See our numbers below!

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Joe Cofer on being honored with the Tennessee Medical Association Outstanding Physician Award.

Dr. Cofer’s leadership and vision helped establish Southeast Tennessee Project Access, creating a program that has connected thousands of uninsured patients across our region with life-changing specialty and hospital care.

For more than two decades, Project Access has stood as a powerful example of what physicians and healthcare partners can accomplish when they come together to serve their community. Dr. Cofer’s commitment to compassionate care and improving access to healthcare continues to leave a lasting impact across Southeast Tennessee.

Thank you, Dr. Cofer, for your leadership, service, and dedication to patients in need. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

We are proud to partner with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank for their annual Hunger Relief Conference; networking and sharing ideas to help our patients experiencing food insecurity.

Everyone has occasional insomnia, but if you often have daytime sleepiness or fatigue and/or if you have chronic insomnia (lasting three months or more), this may indicate a problem.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends older adults get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. (A range is normal, and for some individuals, 5-6 or up to 9 hours per night may be appropriate).

In addition to short-term effects, such as next-day impairment in thinking or performance and difficulties with coping or stress management, short-sleep (less than 6 hour per night) increases the risk of high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and additional risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Getting too little sleep during middle age may increase the risk for dementia later in life. Too little sleep has also been associated with weight gain and obesity.

Here are some simple steps you can take to increase sleep quality:

Schedule - Have a consistent sleep and rise time; wait until you are sleepy for bed
Limit - Limit alcohol, caffeine, ni****ne, heavy meal before bed
Exercise - Add daily physical activity such as walking, but not just before bed
Eliminate - Eliminate or shorten daytime naps
Preserve - Preserve the bedroom for sleep/sex (not TV, reading, or eating)

The 2026 World Day for Safety and Health at Work theme is "Ensuring a Healthy Psychosocial Working Environment". This theme emphasizes protecting mental health, reducing workplace stress, preventing harassment, and fostering positive, supportive work cultures alongside traditional safety measures.

Key Focus Areas for 2026:
- Psychosocial Risk Management: Managing conditions that affect stress, attention, and mental well-being.
- Supportive Leadership: Promoting open communication, fair treatment, and respectful work environments.
- Work-Life Balance: Addressing workload management and the blurring lines between work and personal life.
- Preventive Approach: Moving beyond physical safety to include psychological safety as a structural component of productivity.