top of page
JOIN OUR CHORUS
Courage. Candor. Compassion.
Every day we bear witness to the heartwarming and heartbreaking personal experiences our clients face. We must lift up our neighbors who have no access to health insurance, face barriers to SNAP and other nutrition safety net programs, have delayed care, have crushing medical debt, seek nutrition support for parents and their families, as well as those who are thriving because of public programs like TennCare, CoverKids, SNAP, WIC, Summer EBT, and School Meals.
These are real-life examples of policy failures and the missed opportunities of our leaders, as well as the triumph of getting hard-fought access to life-saving healthcare and anti-hunger programs.
Our voices in harmony create a powerful force that can move hearts and minds. We believe at the core that Tennesseans must be heard and considered in decisions that greatly impact their lives. Their voices ring out clear, singing a song of empowerment, opportunity, and justice.
REAL TENNESSEANS. REAL STORIES.
Search Stories By Tags
Medicaid Gives Tennessee’s Foster Children the Health Care They Desperately Need
For nearly twenty years, Kathy Lyons opened her heart and home in Montgomery County to some of Tennessee's most vulnerable children....
Medicaid Helps a Grandfather Keep His Grandchildren Healthy
Larry Locke is a 66-year-old lifelong resident of Hawkins County, Tennessee. Larry recently took on an unexpected role as full-time...
Four Weeks Seizure Free: How Medicaid Made Room for a Childhood
Leigh Rast has had a life defined by hard work and a warm sense of humor. She works as a Registered Nurse at the Mental Health...
A Veteran Father’s Fight to Keep His Son Alive
Andrew Johnson, a proud Navy veteran, moved to Tennessee in 2016 after serving nearly 11 years at Hampton Roads Naval Air Base in...
A High Risk Pregnancy Saved by Medicaid
For pregnant women across the country, Medicaid is often a lifeline. This rings true for one of the Tennessee Justice Center’s clients,...
Medicaid Can Be the Difference Between a Stable Home and an Inconsistent Foster Care Placement
To protect her grandchildren from entering foster care, Kimberly Pierce adopted her 12-year-old grandson and secured legal custody of his...
A Retired Nurse's Perspective on Medicaid Cuts
After spending three decades taking care of Tennessee, Sabrina Dae Rider Harper is now asking the state to return the favor. Sabrina is...
"I may as well dig my grave" — The Dangers of Medicaid Cuts
Jason Lane Newton's life took an unexpected turn in 2018 when he suffered a heart attack and underwent open-heart surgery. This was...
Healthcare is a Bipartisan Issue
One of our clients struggled to get healthcare as she was studying to earn a Master’s degree. With limited income, she didn’t have the...
How TennCare Saves Babies
In October 2020, a family living in Memphis welcomed their baby born with a rare genetic disorder. The disorder presents complex health...
Protecting Maternal Health in Tennessee
In the spring of 2024, one of TJC’s pregnant clients faced an impossible situation. She lost her job, so she applied for TennCare under...
A Brother's Devotion: Geno and Wayne Swagerty's Story
Geno Swagerty and Wayne Swagerty are two inseparable brothers living in Newport, TN. Geno has dedicated years of his life to being a...
Chasity’s Struggle for Healthcare Access and Disability Support
In the second zone of waiting areas, Chasity was spending her Saturday getting much needed healthcare through St. Thomas’s Medical...
Barriers to Care: Ms. Smith's Journey Navigating TennCare and CHOICES for Her Nephew's Disability Care
Ms. Smith is a proud Nashvillian, Christian, and family woman. She worked for 37 years before retiring but quickly became a caregiver for...
A Sister's Unwavering Fight: Donna's Journey to Secure Care for Diane
Donna and Diane grew up in East Tennessee as two of six siblings. Growing up, Donna recalled that Diane was a kid who loved the...
Peter Kremer's Battle with Huntington's Disease and the Struggle for Care
Illness can happen to anyone at any time. For the Kremer family, they happen to share the genetic mutations for a disease called...
State Failures Leave Tennessee Mother Without Food for Months - How TJC Helped Restore Vital SNAP Benefits
The State continues to fail some Tennessee families, leaving them without SNAP benefits that they are eligible to receive....
The Fight for SNAP Benefits in Tennessee
During the Federal Public Health Emergency declared for COVID-19, which ended May 11, 2023, many people applied for and received SNAP...
Tennessee's SNAP Recertification Issues: How TJC Helped
Tennessee’s Department of Human Services has been battling a severe SNAP application and recertification backlog since June of 2023,...
Barbara Jones Hopes Her Story Will Help Make a Difference
Barbara Jones wants her experience with getting TennCare to be “shared with the world.” She moved here from California in June and...
Interview w/ a Nashville Resident on Their Experience with Long-Covid
We sat down with a Nashville resident who faced tough times with COVID-19. Their story is full of challenges, resilience, and a call for...
Where do you Turn When Your Disability Insurance is Denied?
Amber Cowart is a single mom facing challenges a mother shouldn’t have to overcome. She is the primary caregiver for...
Portland, TN Mom's Story Shows Need for Fully Funding WIC
A Portland, Tennessee mom is one of 133,000 who could see important nutrition support cut. She is caring for her infant child and is...
A Life of Hard Work and a Desperate Need for Healthcare
Danielle Byers is now 56 years old and has worked all kinds of jobs since she was 17
Jordyn's Struggle
Jordyn Vanatta, a Nashville resident, shared her experiences and struggles with the lack of healthcare coverage in a recent interview....
The Real Cost of Inadequate Healthcare
Conchata Eastwood, a resident of East Nashville and a mother of three, ages 14, 16, and 4, shared her family's health challenges with...
Brook's Battle with Tennessee's Healthcare System
Brook Chadwick, a New York native, found herself facing a multitude of healthcare challenges after relocating to Tennessee with her...
Unhoused in Tennessee
To get SNAP in Tennessee, the state assumes that one has a phone, has access to computers, an email address, and a home address. If...
The Challenges Faced by Disabled Adults
In 2020, my son Chris Robertson (55 years old) was laid off from work because he was deemed physically unfit to have a job. Chris worked...
Skimming in Memphis
Tiffany Bellamy, a Memphis mother of three who recently lost a daughter to tragedy, had her SNAP benefits stolen from her in July....
How Insurance Saved Darita's Brother After a Car Crash
“He was a vegetable; I couldn’t take care of him.” Mark was able to receive coverage through TennCare and stay in the facility. Sadly...
The Power of Faith and Determination: Janet's Stroke Story
August 27, 2002, my life abruptly changed forever. A typical morning in my household often looked like me waking up my eight-year old son...
Trying to Survive on $707 a Month
I got hurt and could not keep working. I have plates and screws in my neck. If I try to work I’m days in bed, trying to manage the pain....
Prioritizing Health Amidst Inflating Costs
"As our elected officials consider to weigh the future of our nation’s healthcare, I thought I would take the opportunity to share my...
bottom of page