Blake Farmer
The Tennessean
Nashville, TN, United States
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Past articles by Blake:
A Medicaid mix-up could land you on a ‘most wanted’ list in Tennessee
Few states crack down on patients as Tennessee does. The state posts the names and photos of the accused before securing convictions. → Read More
Doctors Are Disappearing From Emergency Rooms as Hospitals Look to Cut Costs
As a money-saving strategy, emergency rooms are turning to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other staffers who earn far less than physicians. → Read More
Some Addiction Treatment Centers Turn Big Profits by Scaling Back Care
Private equity groups are cashing in on rising rates of alcohol and drug addiction in the U.S. But they aren’t necessarily investing in centers with the best treatment standards, and they often cut… → Read More
Treating Long Covid is rife with guesswork
Medical equipment is still strewn around the house of Rick Lucas, 62, nearly two years after he came home from the hospital. He picks up a spirometer, a device that measures lung capacity, and take… → Read More
Treating Long COVID Is Rife With Guesswork
With a dearth of evidence on effective treatments for long covid, patients and doctors in 400 clinics around the country still rely on trial and error. → Read More
Long-COVID clinics are wrestling with how to treat their patients
The clinics have popped up all over the country, but doctors still don't know the best way to treat these patients, whose symptoms can vary dramatically. → Read More
Ad Goes Too Far With Claim That Joe Biden Promotes Surgery for Trans Teens
Even some medical experts who are skeptical of gender-affirming care say the White House is not promoting breast removal and genital surgery for teens. But that’s not what an ad, funded by a group … → Read More
Hospital Giant HCA Fends Off Accusations of Questionable Inpatient Admissions
The nation’s largest private health system, HCA Healthcare, has faced years of scrutiny over its share of emergency room patients who are admitted to the hospital. And now U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, … → Read More
Families fear a ban on gender affirming care in the wake of harassment of clinics
Activists are campaigning against clinics that offer care for transgender teenagers. Some families worry that will only fuel efforts to ban gender-affirming care in their state. → Read More
Jerry Lee Lewis has died at age 87
The iconic rock 'n' roll pioneer and last living member of the "Million-Dollar Quartet" — whose meteoric rise collapsed almost as quickly as he ascended, thanks to scandal — has died at age 87. → Read More
Organ Transplants Are Up, but the Agency in Charge Is Under Fire
A two-year congressional investigation has identified troubling lapses in the nation’s organ transplant system. Blood types mismatched, diseased organs transplanted anyway, and — most often — organ… → Read More
Some Rural Hospitals Are in Such Bad Shape, Local Governments Are Practically Giving Them Away
Coming out of the pandemic, many rural hospitals are in even rougher shape than before. So rough that some are now practically being handed to investors for little more than a pledge to keep them o… → Read More
Transplant agency is criticized for donor organs arriving late, damaged or diseased
A probe found troubling lapses in the country's organ transplant system. Blood types mismatched, diseased organs accidentally transplanted and donor organs lost or damaged in transit. → Read More
Buy a rural hospital for $100? Investors pick up struggling institutions for pennies
Some rural hospitals are in such bad shape, they're selling for next to nothing. One company is snapping several distressed or closed hospitals in rural Tennessee, hoping to turn a profit. → Read More
Overdose reversal drugs gain support at music festivals, but not fentanyl test strips
Festival promoters are allowing lifesaving medication as fentanyl deaths surge, but volunteers are often left to distribute it, and more controversial forms of harm reduction aren't openly allowed. → Read More
Self-Managed Abortions Gain Attention, but Helpers Risk Legal Trouble
A network of organizations help women use medication to end early pregnancies safely. But it’s a legal gray area in Tennessee and other states that restrict abortion. → Read More
Advocates struggle with how much they can help with self-managed abortions
Reproductive rights proponents worry about the risk of counseling those who seek medication abortions, though they've published online support techniques and guides for safe use of the drugs. → Read More
Even if women manage to get abortion pills, advocates weigh how to guide them
Reproductive rights proponents worry about the risk of counseling those who seek medication abortions, though they've published online support techniques and guides for safe use of the drugs. → Read More
Southern Baptists vote to fight sexual abuse and elect a leader eager for change
The Southern Baptist Convention offered commitments at its closely watched two-day annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., to address sexual abuse problems kept hidden for years. → Read More
Black Women Have Much at Stake in States Where Abortion Access May Vanish
For many women, abortion access has also meant better economic opportunities. But that could change in states that plan to ban most abortion access if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. And t… → Read More