MEMPHIS, Tenn. — What started as a neighborhood effort in Memphis to bring preventive care and chronic disease support into areas with fewer resources is poised to spread across the state. The United Health Foundation has awarded $4 million to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to expand its TennesseeCares Health Hubs network, officials announced Wednesday.
Scaling a local model to statewide reach
The grant will fund a planned increase in the number of health hubs from five locations today to 13 by the end of 2027, UTHSC said. The hubs, created through a partnership led by Dr. James Baily, executive director of the Tennessee Population Health Consortium and TennesseeCares Health Hubs, were first developed in Memphis and Shelby County before moving into rural West Tennessee communities.
Officials said the program has already touched thousands of Tennesseans. Since its 2022 launch, the hubs have served more than 4,000 people through more than 20,000 visits, according to UTHSC.
| Metric | Current |
|---|---|
| Health hubs | 5 (expanding to 13 by 2027) |
| People served | 4,000+ |
| Visits | 20,000+ |
Services tailored to community needs
UT Health leaders said the expansion will not be a one-size-fits-all replication of the Memphis model. Instead, each hub will be adapted to local circumstances through partnerships with regional health systems and community organizations.
"This is really an example of partnerships and people coming together to help people that are disadvantaged in the communities of Memphis, and now increasingly in rural communities,"
said UTHSC Chancellor Peter Buckley, emphasizing collaboration as central to the plan.
Dr. Baily framed personal health coaching and services such as diabetes prevention, diabetes education, weight-management support and smoking-cessation counseling as essential elements missing from many primary care settings.
"We really think that personal health coaching should be the norm for every healthcare system. And everyone should be able to access those,"
Baily said, noting that many primary care clinics lack comprehensive preventive and behavioral supports.
Funding and goals
The United Health Foundation’s $4 million commitment will be used to grow the network, expand staffing and tailor hub services to local disease burdens and resource gaps, UTHSC said. Danielle Gray, executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group and chair of the foundation, described the grant as part of a broader investment in community-based care.
"[There will be a grant that] ..."
(Source material indicated further comment from Gray about grant mechanics, which the university said will support community partnerships and program scaling.)
Why it matters for Tennessee
Tennessee faces persistent gaps in preventive services and chronic disease management, particularly in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural counties. The health hubs model aims to reduce barriers to care by situating coaching, education and follow-up services where people live and work, rather than relying solely on episodic clinic visits.
For patients, the promise is practical: routine education about diabetes risk, structured support for weight loss and smoking cessation, and connections to local resources to help manage long-term conditions more effectively. For health systems, the hubs are a pathway to keep people healthier and potentially reduce costly hospitalizations.
How communities will benefit
The expansion emphasizes local customization. UTHSC leaders said hubs will be structured around community needs assessments and built with partner input so services reflect local priorities rather than a standardized menu of offerings.
- Greater local access to prevention and chronic disease support
- Personal health coaching integrated into existing care networks
- Stronger partnerships between academic medicine, health systems and community organizations
Next steps and timeline
UTHSC officials said the additional sites will be established through collaborations across the state, with the goal of reaching 13 operational hubs by the end of 2027. The university plans to work with regional partners to adapt programming and staffing to local needs; specifics on site locations and services will be announced as agreements are finalized.
As the program grows, university leaders said they will measure results in service volume, disease-specific outcomes and the degree to which hubs reduce barriers to care in historically underserved neighborhoods.
The investment marks a rare, sizable infusion of philanthropic capital aimed specifically at community-centered preventive care in Tennessee. For residents of Memphis and beyond, the expansion could change how people manage chronic illness and engage with the health system, shifting the focus toward steady support rather than crisis-driven care.
