Publisher: Local Memphis WATN-TV


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Earlier this year, 70 University of Tennessee Health Science Center employees were let go from their job amid the pandemic. Friday, they protested their layoffs, as their severance pay ends in just five days. Frustrated former employees rallied at the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees annual meeting Friday, calling the layoffs “immoral.” They said… Read More


Mid-Southerners are getting their lives back in focus thanks to annual Cataract-A-Thon

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Physicians at the Hamilton Eye Institute were out Saturday using their talents to give a major give to people in need. 16 people received free cataract surgeries to help get their lives back in focus. The Fourth Annual Cataract-A-Thon has helped more than 100 people since it began in 2017.”It’s incredible, so many of these… Read More


Volunteers still needed now and will be even more after the pandemic

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More than 4,200 volunteers have helped get 600,000 Covid-19 vaccines in arms across Shelby County. There’s a great amount of gratitude for these thousands of volunteers who have helped save lives during the pandemic. Shelby County and Memphis leaders met at the Pipkin Building vaccine site Thursday to honor all those who have helped.  


Three UTHSC students who helped to open mass COVID-19 vaccination site in midtown Memphis graduate

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Just next door to the Pipkin building is where Memphis’ first large-scale drive-thru COVID-19 testing site was created more than a year ago. What makes that site even more special is that three of the original five medical students from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center who worked with faculty to launch that monumental… Read More


Local workers speak out at UTHSC rally

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May 1st is recognized as International Workers’ Day. Concerned workers gathered to let their voices be heard about reversing the lay-offs at University of Tennessee Health Science Center on Saturday afternoon. May 1: Local 24 News at 10


AR Governor signs law allowing for refusal of specific health services to LGBTQ-plus community

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Mid-South state lawmakers seem preoccupied with the legislation related to gender this year. In Arkansas, the state senate seems ready to ban gender-confirming hormonal or other treatments. Also, all three Mid-South states signed laws prohibiting transgender people from playing on sports teams on Friday and in Arkansas it was health care.


Black doctor speaks out about decreasing number of African American physicians and the need for more

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Did you know only 5% of the doctors in the United States are African American men? Local 24 News Weeknight Anchor Katina Rankin spoke to one Black doctor who says the narrative must change. He offers some solutions. Plus, two colleges have joined forces to offer free scholarships to African American students that want to… Read More


Shelby County Health Department confirms UK variant COVID-19 cluster within University of Memphis athletics program

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Wednesday, David Sweat with the Shelby County Health Department said there was cluster of more than 20 cases last month within the University of Memphis’ athletics program of the highly contagious, COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom. Wednesday, Local 24 News also learned area labs detected five times as many COVID-19 variant cases… Read More