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Tennessee advisory council backs navigator pilots and puts forward budget asks for statewide expansion
Summary
State health and aging officials described dementia navigator pilots serving rural counties and asked the governor for $3 million to expand navigators and $4 million for five memory assessment clinics; presenters said navigators will provide home visits, quarterly follow-ups and warm handoffs to services.
State health and aging officials told the Alzheimer's advisory council they are piloting dementia navigators in rural counties and are seeking state funds to scale the service across Tennessee.
Rochelle Roberts and Department of Health staff outlined plans to embed five local navigators in local health departments covering six counties; the navigators will provide home visits, quarterly follow-ups, memory screenings and provider outreach. "Our navigators will be doing quarterly follow ups with these families… They’ll also be doing home visits," a Health presenter said.
The Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) reported a complementary regional model funded through an Alzheimer's Disease Program Initiative grant that places three regional navigators in Upper Cumberland, Middle Tennessee and Bridal Tennessee through 2026, with a one-year extension likely. DDA emphasized partnerships with senior centers, AAAs and legal services for families.
On budget, staff reported two formal asks submitted to the governor: a $4,000,000 request to establish a hub-and-spoke network of five memory assessment clinics focused on early diagnosis and management, and a $3,000,000 proposal to expand the dementia navigator program so it can reach an additional 37 counties (the stated goal is to have every county represented). DDA said it also requested $1,000,000 and 10 positions to support navigator activity tied to the merger of relevant offices.
Officials tied the funding requests to sustainability: pilot funding runs through 2026 with grant-dependent extensions, and state dollars would support broader, recurring coverage. Presenters emphasized that navigators are intended to provide more than referrals — "we're really wanting to make sure that our navigators aren't just providing a phone number, that they are walking hand in hand with these families," one presenter said, describing care planning, warm handoffs and assistance with forms.
Next steps include filling navigator positions by the end of the year, finalizing training and care-pathway documents, and using pilot data to demonstrate impact for legislators. The council scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 20.
