Tennessee Social Care Summit: Highlights from the Volunteer State
In Tennessee, social care isn’t being discussed in theory. It’s being built, funded, tested, and scaled in real time. At the Findhelp Tennessee Social Care Summit, state leaders, healthcare organizations, and community-based partners came together with a shared mission: strengthen the safety net by connecting people to the resources they need, no matter where they live.
From rural hospital sustainability to statewide interoperability, the conversations throughout the day reflected both urgency and optimism—and a clear commitment to turning strategy into action.
Read on for key takeaways:
Rural investment meets real impact: Tennessee is channeling new funding into scalable, community-driven care.
Technology as the connective tissue: A unified platform is turning referrals into real outcomes.
Partnerships power progress: Cross-sector alignment is accelerating adoption and reach statewide.
A special thank you to everyone who joined us and to our fantastic speakers for sharing their insight, experiences, and vision.
Highlights from the 2026 Tennessee Social Care Summit
This year’s Summit featured 117 participants representing government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, and more:
Below are some of the key themes and takeaways from a day of learning and sharing.
Funding the future of rural health
Tennessee is making a significant investment in rural communities through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a multi-pronged initiative focused on expanding access, modernizing technology, and strengthening the healthcare workforce.
State leaders emphasized that this work is not optional—it’s essential.
“We cannot leave rural Tennessee behind. We need to make rural health a priority for the government.”
Michael Hendrix
Policy Director, State of Tennessee
Alongside funding, there is a strong emphasis on scaling what is already working. TennCare’s Findhelp-powered platform is one of those bright spots, helping connect individuals to social services in real, measurable ways.
Dr. Wu shared a story that captured the shift underway: a patient with substance use challenges arrives in the emergency room, is screened for social needs, and gets connected to treatment, transportation, and ongoing support.
“This is becoming less the exception and more the norm—connecting people in need with resources.”
Dr. Victor Wu
Chief Medical Officer, TennCare
These efforts reflect a broader strategy: investing not just in care delivery, but in the systems and partnerships that make care accessible and effective.
Building a “no wrong door” system
A central theme of the summit was the idea of a “no wrong door” approach—ensuring that individuals can access support regardless of where they enter the system.
Tennessee is advancing this vision by expanding access to tools that support screening, referrals, and care coordination across sectors.
This includes continued growth of a shared social care infrastructure and increased adoption among providers, state agencies, and community organizations.
At the same time, new capabilities are being introduced to simplify access and improve outcomes, including faster eligibility screening, expanded interoperability, and tools that support more efficient workflows for navigators and care teams.
Together, these efforts are helping create a more connected and responsive system—one that is better equipped to meet the needs of individuals and communities statewide.
Aligning strategy across the ecosystem
A major focus of the Tennessee Social Care Summit was the importance of alignment across stakeholders.
Through TennCare’s Health Starts program, providers, managed care organizations (MCOs), and community-based organizations are working together to address non-medical drivers of health in a more coordinated way.
Panelists highlighted how collaboration across organizations is critical to long-term success.
“You can go fast alone, but further together.”
April Blair
Director of SDoH Programs, Health Starts Initiative at UnitedHealthcare
There was also strong agreement that social care must be integrated into broader healthcare strategies, rather than treated as a separate effort.
“You can’t dissect social needs from clinical needs; you have to address them holistically.”
Trish Olivier
Principal Program Manager at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
This shared approach is helping reduce fragmentation, improve coordination, and create a more sustainable model for addressing social needs at scale.
The reality of the work
While progress is clear, speakers also emphasized the realities faced by community-based organizations (CBOs) delivering services on the ground.
Organizations are managing high volumes of referrals, navigating capacity constraints, and working to reach individuals who may be difficult to contact or engage.
Despite these challenges, many CBOs are finding ways to meet demand and expand their impact.
“We get a lot of referrals [through the Findhelp platform], and address them!”
Ashley Smith
Director of Comprehensive Care at The Branch of Nashville
At the same time, gaps between screening and intervention remain a key focus area.
“A lot of organizations are doing the screening, but not intervening.”
Amy Qazi
Director, Innovation & Programs at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
These insights reinforce the importance of not just identifying needs, but ensuring that systems are in place to connect people to services and follow through on those connections.
Designing for what’s next
Looking ahead, Tennessee’s strategy is focused on continuing to scale and optimize its social care ecosystem.
This includes expanding access to tools, strengthening partnerships, and improving the ability to track and measure outcomes over time. There is also a growing emphasis on using data to inform decisions, identify gaps, and support long-term sustainability.
As the system evolves, the goal remains the same: create a more connected, effective, and equitable safety net for all Tennesseans.
Beyond the Summit: Our work in Tennessee
While the Summit provided a rich day of insight and connection, the real work continues — in homes, clinics, schools, and community hubs across Tennesssee.
Some of the numbers that show the scale and momentum:
- 5,529 listed programs serving Tennessee
- 2.2 million users across the state
- 7.6 million searches for resources
- 144,000 social needs assessments completed
- 100% of counties have claimed programs
As of April 2026, we partner with more than 28 customers throughout the state to connect their patients, members, students, constituents, and clients to local resources. Our data and analytic tools can identify gaps in services and provide actionable insights to inform strategy and public policy.
Together, with our Tennessee partners, we’re building a future where social care is not an afterthought — but a foundational part of how health, housing, and human services work together.
Let’s keep the conversation going
Tennessee’s work offers a strong example of what’s possible when funding, technology, and collaboration come together.
Not just a collection of programs—but a coordinated system.
Not just identifying needs—but meeting them.
And not just a vision for the future—but a model already taking shape today.
If you’re interested in how Findhelp can support your work — whether you’re a health system, community-based organization, payer, or state agency — we’d love to chat.
