Tennessee Voices, Episode 341: Iván Murcia, CEO, Sanitas Health Center

The health care news coming out of Tennessee sends mixed messages.

On the one hand, Nashville is considered the capital of the private hospital system with respected systems including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, HCA and Ascension.

On the other hand, health care outcomes for most residents across the state are poor and the state has one of the highest rates of rural hospital closures in the country.

ThinkTennessee, a Nashville-based think tank, annually releases a dashboard of outcomes. When it comes to health, here's how the Volunteer State ranks in key areas: 39th in adult obesity, 43rd in the uninsured rate and 47th in adults with diabetes.

That is why efforts to reach patients where they are at are fundamental to improving citizens' health.

Ivan Murcia
Ivan Murcia

Sanitas Health Center partnered with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee to expand health services.

On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Sanitas CEO, Dr. Iván Murcia, spoke about his company's effort to make a difference.

There are eight Sanitas centers now in Tennessee: four in Nashville and four in Memphis.

The company offers in-person and virtual services to patients to support communities’ unique needs.

Sanitas started in Colombia and Spain and came to the United States in 2015.

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. 

Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. 

About Tennessee Voices

The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.

Watch past episodes:Tennessee Voices videocast

Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.

Finally, our journalists are working hard during this pandemic to bring you accurate, verified and solid information. Please consider subscribing and supporting local journalism.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Video podcast: Iván Murcia, CEO, Sanitas Health Center