Smoky Mountain Home Health & Hospice, Inc.

Tammy Francis, RN, CDE, started Smoky Mountain Home Health and Hospice (SMHHH) in 1982 literally out of the trunk of her car. After completing nursing school, she soon realized that many frail, elderly and home-bound people really want to stay at home in their later years to receive health care services. At that time, there were not many options available for in-home care services in rural communities like Newport, much less woman-owned small businesses.

Now, 30 years later, she continues to manage the agency on a daily basis. SMHHH maintains four branch offices in Greeneville, Morristown, Kingsport and a new office in Knoxville that provides hospice care only. The corporate office still remains in Newport and the agency serves 13 East Tennessee counties, growing from the original Cocke, Hamblen, Jefferson and Greene to also service Claiborne, Grainger, Hawkins, Sevier, Hancock, Sullivan, Washington, and Unicoi counties. The agency's Knoxville office provides hospice care only.