Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett visited several South Knoxville businesses Wednesday morning to hear firsthand the impact the Henley Street Bridge closure is having on them.  Mayor Burchett is also encouraging citizens from across Knox County to make a conscious effort to visit and do business in South Knoxville and South Knox County.

“The Henley Street Bridge construction project is important, and it will benefit Knox County residents and visitors alike when it is finished,” Mayor Burchett said.  “In the meantime, though, businesses along Chapman Highway, many of them locally owned, need the support of the entire community.  Occasionally driving a couple extra miles south of the river to eat out, shop or conduct other business is an easy way citizens can help.”

Mayor Burchett visited the Disc Exchange, Allen Sign Co., Rush’s Music, Crow’s Alignment, Emery’s 5 & 10 and Comic Xchange.  Many of the business owners and employees said they have seen a significant impact in business due to reduced traffic on Chapman Highway and were encouraged by the mayor’s visit.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and I hope all of our citizens understand that what happens in one part of the county affects all parts of the county,” Mayor Burchett said.  “Spending time and money in South Knoxville not only helps these businesses, but it will help our local economy.”

For more information about all South Knox has to offer, visit http://www.southknoxisopen.com.

To assist local businesses and child care facilities provide proactive environments for
better health, nutrition and physical activity for their employees and children in their
care, Knox County Health Department is offering more than 40 community mini-grants.

The grants are part of KCHD’s Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Diabetes (CARD)
grant from the Tennessee Department of Health and encompass several programs
aimed at stemming the diabetes epidemic in Knox County. There are 12 $1,500 grants
to help defray start-up costs and equipment for businesses interested in developing and
implementing worksite wellness programs for their employees. Thirty $600 grants are
set aside to help child care facilities improve nutrition and physical activity. 

“These mini-grants are designed to provide an opportunity for local businesses and
child care centers to implement creative programs to address the obesity epidemic,
which is a contributing factor to developing diabetes and other serious illnesses during a
person’s lifetime,” said Dr. Martha Buchanan, Knox County Health Department director.

Mini-grant applications are due by Nov. 15. More information and grant applications are
available at knoxcounty.org/health.  Below are brief descriptions for the two mini-grants
types:

Worksite Wellness Mini-Grants 

• Twelve (12) $1,500 grants are available to for-profit and non-profit businesses
with a Knox County address
• Funding is to be used to promote physical activity and healthy eating at the
worksite
• Grant recipients will be expected to present project to the East Tennessee
Wellness Roundtable on May 14.
• To learn more and request an application, contact Sarah Griswold at 215-5170 or
e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  
Child Care Mini-Grants 
• Thirty (30) $600 grants are available to Knox County family based or center
based child care facilities
• Funding is to be used to assist child care centers in developing and implementing
nutrition and physical activity related programming
• To learn more and request an application, contact Cheryl Hill at 215-5170 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Grants will be awarded no later than Dec. 1 and all applicants will be notified of their
status.
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 17.9
million people nationally diagnosed with diabetes and an estimated 5.7 million people
who have the disease but are undiagnosed.  If current trends continue, one out of three
U.S. adults will have diabetes by 2050. In Tennessee, the percentage of adults with
diabetes almost doubled between 1996 and 2005, from 5 to 9.1 percent and Tennessee
had the sixth highest percentage of diabetic adults compared to all other states. In Knox
County, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of premature death in 2005. In 2008,
9.5 percent of Knox County adults reported they have been diagnosed with diabetes.
This estimate does not include pre-diabetes or borderline diabetes. The estimate for
2002 was 7.1 percent and in 2005, it was 8.2 percent (Knox County Behavior Risk
Factor Survey, 2002, 2005, 2008). 

Knox County Health Department’s initiatives through the CARD Program directly
address reducing diabetes rates and include programs such as the tri-yearly diabetes
management class series; community-wide walking programs; the Nutrition Education
Activity Training (NEAT) after school program; the mini-grants; a walking school bus
pilot project and an Eat Play Live Conference planned for March 2012.