This proposal aims to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in East Knoxville, specifically in the 37914 and 37915 zip codes—communities classified as “healthcare deserts” because of their distance from a full-service hospital and specialty care offerings. These neighborhoods lack access to essential healthcare services, with only one primary care physician, one dentist, one physical therapist, and no optometrists or pediatric offices. Additional social determinants, such as poverty and transportation barriers, exacerbate these challenges.

After two years of extensive community engagement—connecting with over 500 residents and organizations, led by Dr. Harold Middlebrook and our East Committee —Emerald Youth is actively negotiating a land agreement with the City of Knoxville in the Burlington area to replicate its Haslam-Sansom Lonsdale Ministry Complex. In response to residents’ needs, Mayor Indya Kincannon and local influencers have encouraged the integration of healthcare services into the planned East Area Ministry Complex.