Tennessee Justice Center, Our August 2023 Share the Plate Partner
For over 27 years, the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) has been standing with vulnerable Tennessee families and helping them access basic necessities of life. TJC has made an incredible impact for families across the state, for moms and children with special needs, for older adults and caregivers, for people with disabilities and those who need long-term care, and many more.
TJC advocates for Tennessee’s most vulnerable families and children, so that all Tennesseans can enjoy the dignity, security, and opportunity that is every person’s right.
TJC’s skilled legal and policy advocacy improves the lives of tens of thousands of Tennesseans every year, from infants with special health care needs to frail seniors struggling to maintain their independence.
Since opening its doors in 1996, TJC has used lawsuits, legislation, and coalition building to overcome injustice, winning $2 billion in health care and hundreds of millions in financial and nutrition assistance for Tennesseans.
TJC’s work is grounded in, and inspired by, the daily representation of individual families from Memphis to Mountain City. Our advocacy agenda is informed by our work with Tennesseans who battle injustice in their lives and in the lives of those they love.
TJC educates the public and policymakers about the importance of vital children’s healthcare programs, such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
TJC educates Tennesseans about how public programs work, about the forms and application procedures, helping people cut through red tape barriers.
TJC identifies systemic barriers to care, including especially systemic racism. They advocate for policy changes to address the various barriers to access to affordable healthcare in Tennessee.
The center states that in Tennessee, the LGBTQ community faces barriers to access and lacks critical protections. The TJC advocates for correction of these problems:
Tennessee does not ban conversion therapy;
Tennessee does not have a law that bans health insurance providers from excluding coverage for transgender-specific care;
Tennessee does not have a law that upholds nondiscrimination regarding sexual orientation and gender identity for private health insurance companies.
Tennessee is one of only 12 states that expressly bans access to coverage for gender-affirming care under our Medicaid program
“Tennessee Justice Center believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are intrinsically valuable and necessary to manifest their mission of justice for all. This applies to every age, gender, ability, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, income or status as beneficiary of a public assistance program.” Please give generously to our very important legal ally, and our Share the Plate partner in August, Tennessee Justice Center.