Mid-South Liver Alliance
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615-762-5543
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5421 Hwy 100 Ste 58211
Nashville, TN 37205
Organization Details

Statements

Mission

Recognizing the need for more education on liver disease in the Mid-South we are committed to improving, educating, advocating, and supporting children, adults' and families affected by Chronic Liver Disease in the mid-south states of TN, AL, KY, MS, AR and LA.
As a non-profit, Mid-South Liver Alliance relies on donors and grants to support the mission with liver patients. All funds are used to further educational and outreach activities within our member states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Within our area of the United States, we understand that liver disease will strike approximately 1 in every 4 people, and we recognize that within our states, there are lifestyle and access to healthcare issues that leave people more at-risk for liver disease and undiagnosed or untreated liver disease. Our goal is to help get the word out on NAFLD/NASH and on chronic liver disease in general. Our Medical Advisory board is made up of 8 of the 11 transplant centers that are located in our 6 states. The transplant centers typically house hepatologists, as many people with chronic liver disease end up needing a transplant to make their liver healthy.
The non-profit Mid-South Liver Alliance understands that liver patients are complex patients in a primary practice setting, often with multiple diagnostic treatment needs associated with liver disease. And it is understood that the rural nature of many of our participating states and the lack of funding associated with the political decisions associated with having not expanded Medicaid leaves many residents without care or with poor access to care.
It is the goal of Mid-South Liver Alliance to develop a network of community-based volunteers who are trained and ready to assist liver patients with education, transportation to and from healthcare appointments and to work with the state's advocacy efforts in educating elected officials.

Background

The Mid-South Liver Alliance was formed to work on health disparities and access to care issues in the Southern states which rank from #1 to #11 in the unhealthiest states of America. These states have a lot of rural populations that have been hit hard in their health care systems these past years with COVID-19. Many of the states were slow to take the Medicaid expansion funding which has led to several closings of rural hospitals; thereby increasing the number of people in each of southern states that are uninsured or underinsured. TN, MS, AL still have not expanded Medicaid and have an average uninsured rate of 11.44%. In Alabama, it can take someone from southern Alabama up to 8 months to get into the NAFLD
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of Chronic Liver Disease in children and adults in the United States. NAFLD is the becoming the most common reason for Liver Transplants in the United States. Being overweight or obese, having type II Diabetes or High Cholesterol may increase your risk of NAFLD. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, speak to your healthcare provider about ways to lower your risk. Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. Chronic Hepatitis C, Chronic Liver Disease and Chronic Alcoholism are the leading causes of Cirrhosis.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an alarming public health problem. The disease is one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide and is linked to the increased prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the general population. The worldwide prevalence of NAFLD has been estimated at 20-30%, but the prevalence is unknown in the Americas because of a lack of epidemiological studies. However, given the trends in the prevalence of diabetes and obesity, the prevalence of NAFLD and its consequences are expected to increase soon. Out of the 30 million people that are affected by NAFLD, 8.9 million live in our mid-south states of TN, AL, MS, AR, LA and KY.

The liver has a unique capacity among organs to regenerate itself after damage. A liver can regrow to a normal size even after up to 90% of it has been removed. Just losing 10% body fat can help the liver get healthier.

Impact

When many people think about Liver disease they think about Alcohol. There are over 100 diseases of the liver, thereby alcohol is just a small part of those that suffer from liver disease. The Mid South Liver Alliance wants to target those with the following Chronic liver Diseases to help them understand their disease states and know how to ask questions on their care going forward. Some of the major disease states we are working on consist of NAFLD, NASH, Cirrhosis, HCC, Hepatitis, Biliary Atresia, Pediatric Rare Diseases, PBC, Hepatic Encephalopathy, and Alcoholic Liver Disease. There are 5 Stages of liver failure:
Inflammation. In this early stage, the liver is enlarged or inflamed.
Fibrosis. Scar tissue begins to replace healthy tissue in the inflamed liver.
Cirrhosis. Severe scarring has built up, making it difficult for the liver to function properly.
End-stage liver disease (ESLD). ...
Liver cancer.

While liver transplantation is a viable treatment option for ESLD, with increasing waiting times for organ transplantation, nearly 17% of patients on the transplant wait list die annually; others are not candidates for a liver transplant. Patients with ESLD have a constellation of symptoms and disease-related complications that affect survival and health-related quality of life.

Our goal is to provide more education and awareness of Liver Disease so we can reach people before they reach stage 4 or End Stage Liver Disease.

Needs

Due to the rural areas and lack of hepatolgist (liver specialist) in some of these rural areas we want to create a Patient Services Committee made up of social workers, dieticians, and nurses that work with liver patients at GI offices that have been diagnosed with chronic liver disease. These volunteers will work with us to structure a patient service committee that oversees evidence-based programs and practices for healthy youth development for school programs in elementary, middle, and high school along with providing community patient services that help with education and working to solve basic emergency funding needs for liver wellness.

Three Targets:
Help with education youth on health behavior goals for their liver health through class studies and written materials regarding positive image and behavior change.
Helping those with diabetes or obesity understand the importance that weight management provides for their liver health by targeting 10% weight loss.
Practical online or onsite training offered to help primary care and nurse practitioners to recognize the signs of NAFLD/NASH in patients and get them the education to ensure better treatment for their patients.

Patients are needed to help us develop these 3 programs listed above. Please sign up today!

CEO Statement

The Mid South Liver Alliance was established in March 2021, with the mission of improving, educating, advocating, and supporting children, adults and families impacted by Chronic Liver Disease in the midsouth states of TN, AL, MS, AR, LA and KY. A group of concerned doctors, patients and community leaders came together to put develop the Mid South Liver Alliance. We are working on building a strong board and have already put together a strong Medical Advisory Board, as we start to build our website and put together educational programs for medical professionals and patients.
The Mid South Liver Alliance was developed to work in the communities it serves and increase education, knowledge, and awareness of liver disease. The liver is the second largest organ in your body and is located under your rib cage on the right side. It weighs about 3 pounds and is shaped like a football that is flat on one side. The six primary functions of the liver include:
• Bile production and excretion.
• Excretion of bilirubin, cholesterol, hormones, and drugs.
• Metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
• Enzyme activation.
• Storage of glycogen, vitamins, and minerals.
• Synthesis of plasma proteins, such as albumin, and clotting factor

The Medical Advisory Board is helping to develop awareness campaigns and educational programming to help patients and medical professionals understand the importance of respecting their liver and changing habits so you can help your liver to re-generate and become healthier.


Health disparities and access to care issues exist largely in the mid-south area due to rural populations and the fact that many of these states have not taken the Medicaid expansion opportunity, causing a larger number of patients to fall through the cracks. Many of our states are in the top 10 Unhealthiest states in the nation.

Whether we are providing transportation services to and from transplant appointments, emergency assistance to help people with their basic needs, screenings for people who are at risk for liver disease, education for community and medical professionals on the prevention of liver disease, or information on becoming a living liver donor, we hope to make a difference in the Mid-South. We are working with nurses, hepatologists, GI docs and transplant docs to develop our policies and our programming which will be announced soon. Keep checking in, as we continue to grow each month.

Board Chair Statement


100 million Americans with NAFLD
30-40% of the population
Most common form of liver disease in the US
By 2030 will be the most frequent reason for Liver transplant in the US
Underlying Metabolic Syndrome conditions put people at risk
The need for detection, diagnosis and then ongoing education, motivation, lifestyle changes is key to fight this issue
MetaPhy Health focuses exclusively on this problem within the GI space
Mid South Liver Alliance as a non profit is a key component to supporting patients and providers working to address this issue

I am proud to be the Board President and working to build the Mid South Liver Alliance. Metaphy Health provides a comprehensive chronic disease management program for GI practices across the nation and we understand the importance of a nonprofit like Mid South Liver Alliance to help in providing education and awareness on liver disease.


Service Categories

Primary Category: Health Care  - Emergency Medical Services & Transport 
Secondary Category: -
Tertiary Category: -

Areas Served

The Mid South Liver Alliance was founded in Nashville, TN but is working with the Mid-South States of TN, AL, MS, AR, LA and KY. Working together with the doctors in these states we can work on the major disparities issue that exist in the south. Working together we can help to educate and build awareness around Liver Disease and help determine the needs in the various states due to the shortage of Hepatologist in these rural areas.

TN - Davidson