🩺 A Dunlap Clinic Opens Its Doors to New Patients, Know Your Gas-Leak Signs Before Five Cold Nights, Check the Cheddar and Take a Small Step for World Diabetes Day: Your Healthy Valley Report

Or: Find a New Doctor’s Door, Sniff and Listen Before You Fire Up the Heat, Look Twice at the Cheese Drawer and Walk a Little Farther This Week

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Good afternoon, Valley, and thank you to every veteran reading this. The National Weather Service has Dunlap sunny, near 69 this Veterans Day, with a 50% chance of a quick shower between 8 p.m. and midnight. Then winter knocks on the door: lows of about 30 Friday night, 28 Saturday night, 32 Sunday and Monday nights and 31 Tuesday night. That’s five nights in a row at or below freezing. Today’s report is about where to go and what to check, and none of it calls for worry:

First, Pikeville Clinic in Bledsoe County is still closed for now, with no reopening date. But Pikeville Urgent Care is open, and in Dunlap, Mountain Bend Medical Associates is taking new patients. Second, before you turn up the heat, learn the five signs of a gas leak and the State Fire Marshal’s three-foot rule for space heaters. Third, Family Farmstead Dairy has recalled all of its raw cheddar, and Tennessee is on the list of states where it was sold. Fourth, Saturday is World Diabetes Day, and the first step is a small one. We also have a quick follow-up on Tennessee’s rural health money.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• 🩺 Need a family doctor? Mountain Bend Medical Associates, 29 Crestview Drive, Dunlap, is taking new patients. Call 423-949-6300. Spots are limited.
• 🏥 Pikeville Clinic patient? It’s still closed. Pikeville Urgent Care, (423) 447-2992, is open, and you can ask for your records in writing.
• 🔥 Smell rotten eggs or hear hissing? Get everyone outside first, then call your gas company from outside. Don’t flip switches.
• 🧀 Family Farmstead Raw Mild or Raw Sharp Cheddar, 8 oz, dated 10/16/27 or earlier? Don’t eat it. Take it back to the store.
• 🚶 World Diabetes Day is Saturday, Nov. 14. Start with a 10-minute walk after supper.

🩺 Your Pikeville Doctor Is Still Closed, but a Dunlap Clinic Is Opening Its Door to New Patients

This is local news for Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties. It comes from The Bledsonian-Banner (Nov. 10) and Dunlap.Today (Nov. 10). Yesterday we told you Pikeville Clinic, LLC had closed for now. The Bledsonian-Banner now reports that Presley Healthcare confirms the clinic has “temporarily ceased operations,” and no timeframe has been given for reopening. The paper says the change came from internal business decisions.

Here’s the steady part. Pikeville Urgent Care is a separate business, and Presley Healthcare told the paper it “remains fully operational, open, and actively seeing patients” and has not lost any of its supervising physicians. Patients can still get care there. If you want your medical records, the paper says you have the right to ask for them once the proper forms are filled out.

And closer to home, Mountain Bend Medical Associates in Dunlap said so many people asked for new-patient appointments that it would open early today, Wednesday, Nov. 11, to fit more folks in.

• Mountain Bend Medical Associates: 29 Crestview Drive, Dunlap. New patients call 423-949-6300. The clinic says appointments are limited and asks folks not to wait. The announcement didn’t give the early opening time, so ask when you call.
• Pikeville Urgent Care: 344 E. Church St., Pikeville, (423) 447-2992. Walk-ins welcome.
• Free, no insurance needed: UTC’s MobileMOC clinic sees adults 18 and older Thursday, Nov. 12, at Purpose Point Community Health in Chattanooga, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. our time. Call (423) 425-1657.

What it means for you: Changing doctors is a little like moving your church letter. It feels like a big deal, but the new congregation is glad to have you, and your history comes along with you. If Pikeville Clinic was your home base, you have choices: walk in at Pikeville Urgent Care, call Mountain Bend for a new-patient visit or wait to see if your clinic reopens. Whatever you pick, check how many refills you have left this week, so a pill bottle doesn’t run dry while you sort it out. For chest pain, trouble breathing or signs of a stroke, call 911.

👉 Read more (The Bledsonian-Banner: Pikeville Clinic LLC temporarily closed) · Dunlap.Today: Mountain Bend Medical Associates opens early for new patients

🔥 Five Cold Nights Are Coming: Sniff, Listen and Give the Heater Some Elbow Room

This is regional and statewide safety advice. It comes from Middle Tennessee Natural Gas (shared by Dunlap.Today on Nov. 9) and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office. Nothing has gone wrong locally. This is a heads-up before the furnace works its hardest. When the heat runs night after night, it pays to know what trouble looks, smells and sounds like. Middle Tennessee Natural Gas, which has offices in Dayton, Crossville, Sparta and McMinnville, lists five warning signs of a gas leak:

• 👂 A hissing or whistling sound near a gas line or appliance.
• 👃 A rotten-egg smell. Natural gas has no smell of its own, so gas companies add one on purpose.
• 🌱 Dead or discolored grass or plants where things usually grow fine.
• 💧 Bubbling in puddles or wet ground near your home.
• 🟫 Dry, hard soil in a spot that’s usually damp.

If you notice one: get everyone out of the house and leave the door open. Don’t flip light switches, unplug anything or use the house phone. Once you’re outside, call your gas company. Middle Tennessee Natural Gas customers call 1-833-438-6864, 24 hours a day. If your gas comes from another company, its emergency number is on your bill. The company also warns that you shouldn’t rely on your nose alone, because some people can’t smell the odor well. If you notice a faint smell, it says it will send someone to check at no charge.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says winter is Tennessee’s most dangerous season for home fires. Its space-heater basics:

• Keep blankets, rugs, curtains and furniture at least three feet from a space heater or wood stove.
• Plug a space heater straight into the wall, never into an extension cord or power strip.
• Set it on a flat, solid floor, and pick one that shuts off if it tips over.
• Turn it off when you leave the room or go to bed.
• Never heat the house with the oven.

What it means for you: A heater is like a good dog. It’s a fine friend if you give it room and don’t leave it alone in the house all day. Tonight or tomorrow, walk the house once: move the recliner back from the heater, pull the heater’s plug out of that power strip and press the test button on your smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. If an older neighbor lives alone, give them a call on Friday evening and ask whether their heat is working.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: Know the warning signs of a natural gas leak) · Middle Tennessee Natural Gas: Safety First · State Fire Marshal: Winter fire safety tips

🧀 Look Twice at the Cheese Drawer: A Raw Cheddar Recall Includes Tennessee

This is a national recall that includes Tennessee stores, posted by the FDA on Nov. 10. We don’t know which stores near us, if any, carried it. Family Farmstead Dairy of Worcester, New York, is recalling all of its cheddar cheese because it may carry Listeria, a germ that can make people sick. This follows the company’s smaller recall in October.

• What to look for: Family Farmstead Raw Mild Cheddar and Raw Sharp Cheddar, 8-ounce, plastic-wrapped, with lot codes dated 10/16/27 or earlier.
• Where it was sold: retail stores in 12 states, including Tennessee.
• What to do: don’t eat it. Return it to the store, or call the company at (607) 397-4044, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.

What it means for you: This is a quick look, like checking the egg carton’s date before you crack one. This is a small farm brand, so it may well not be in your fridge. If it is, bag it and take it back. Listeria is most serious for pregnant women, babies, older folks and anyone with a weak immune system. If someone in one of those groups ate this cheese and gets a fever, muscle aches or an upset stomach, call the doctor and mention the recall.

👉 Read more (FDA: Family Farmstead Dairy cheddar recall)

🚶 World Diabetes Day Is Saturday: Four Small Steps, No Big Overhaul

This is general wellness guidance shared by school nurses and reported by Dunlap.Today on Nov. 6, based on CDC advice, plus one optional free screening farther afield. November is National Diabetes Month, and Saturday, Nov. 14, is World Diabetes Day. The message from our area’s school nurses is simple: type 2 diabetes can often be prevented or delayed, and it takes small changes, not a whole new life. Their four steps:

• Move more: aim for about 150 minutes a week of brisk walking or similar activity. That’s about 20 minutes a day.
• Build habits: make healthy meals and regular movement part of your routine.
• Small changes count: for adults with extra weight and prediabetes, losing just 5 to 7% of body weight can lower the risk. For a 200-pound person, that’s 10 to 14 pounds.
• Know your risk: ask your provider about a blood sugar test and a CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program.

Want a free check? Hamilton Diabetes and Endocrinology Center is holding a free diabetes awareness event with blood sugar screenings and risk checks on Friday, Nov. 13, from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hamilton Medical Center Mensa (next to the cafeteria). That’s in Dalton, Georgia, so it’s a drive. Most folks are better off asking their own clinic or pharmacy about a blood sugar check.

What it means for you: Preventing diabetes is like keeping a gravel drive in shape. A few shovelfuls each week beat one big washout. With cold days coming, a walk can be indoors, like laps around the house, the hallway or a big store. Swap one sweet tea for water. Put one more vegetable on the supper plate. Small things done every day add up.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: Small steps to prevention) · Chattanoogan.com: Free diabetes awareness event Nov. 13

💵 A Quick Follow-Up: More Rural Health Money for Tennessee

This is statewide news from the Tennessee Lookout, published Nov. 11. Yesterday we shared that Tennessee named 138 rural health projects worth about $422 million over five years. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that Tennessee received $210.3 million for the program’s second year, after $206.9 million the first year. The state could receive up to $1 billion over five years, depending on its progress.

What it means for you: Think of it as the second load of seed arriving at the co-op. It’s good to know it came, but you won’t see sprouts this week. There’s nothing to sign up for. We’ll tell you when a project near us opens its doors.

👉 Read more (Tennessee Lookout: Tennessee gets $210M in second year)

📅 This Week’s Sticky Notes (all times Central unless noted)

• Today, Wed., Nov. 11 (Veterans Day): Sunny, near 69. The health department and library are closed today. Shower chance 50%, 8 p.m. to midnight. Veterans in crisis: 988, press 1.
• Thu., Nov. 12: High near 56, gusty. Low near 33. Health department reopens ((423) 949-3619). MobileMOC free clinic at Purpose Point, Chattanooga, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. our time. UT Extension “Food for All” class, 5 to 6 p.m., Dunlap (423-949-2611). Sequatchie County students learn from home Thursday and Friday.
• Fri., Nov. 13: High near 47, then about 30 Friday night. Dunlap blood drive honoring Bella Cooper, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Citizens Tri-County Bank, 15699 Rankin Ave. Chair Dancing at the library, 1 p.m. CDC’s weekly flu report comes out.
• Sat., Nov. 14 (World Diabetes Day): Sunny, 50, then about 28 Saturday night, the coldest of the run. CHI Memorial lung coach at Nutrition World, Chattanooga, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time (423-495-5864).
• Sun., Nov. 15 to Tue., Nov. 17: Sunny days in the 50s, lows 31 to 32. Keep the heater three feet from everything.
• Thu., Nov. 19: Great American Smokeout. 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
• Fri., Nov. 20: Last day of the Griffith Elementary Harvest Food Drive.
• Mon., Nov. 23: First “Cooking Small, Living Well” class, 5 p.m.
• Thu., Nov. 26: Thanksgiving.
• Mon., Nov. 30: Last day for the veterans’ free dental cleaning offer at Prima Dental Premier, Chattanooga ((423) 499-8007).

✅ Your Healthy Valley Checklist

• ✅ No regular doctor? Call Mountain Bend Medical Associates at 423-949-6300 soon. Spots are limited.
• ✅ Pikeville Clinic patient? Count your refills, and ask for your records in writing if you’re switching.
• ✅ Learn the gas-leak rule: smell it or hear it, get out, then call from outside.
• ✅ Before Friday night, give every space heater three feet of room and plug it straight into the wall.
• ✅ Press the test button on your smoke and CO alarms.
• ✅ Check the cheese drawer for Family Farmstead raw cheddar dated 10/16/27 or earlier.
• ✅ Saturday, take a 10-minute walk for World Diabetes Day, even if it’s laps around the kitchen.
• ✅ Call one older neighbor on a cold night and ask, “Is your heat working?”

Practical rule: know your doctor’s door, give the heater three feet and get outside before you call about gas.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor, pharmacist or health department about your own situation. In an emergency, call 911.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Health Glossary

• Primary care: Your everyday doctor or nurse practitioner, for checkups, colds, blood pressure and referrals.
• New patient: Someone who hasn’t been seen at that clinic before. The first visit is often longer.
• Supervising physician: A doctor who oversees a nurse practitioner’s work, as Tennessee requires.
• Medical records request: A form you sign so your old office sends your health history to you or your new provider.
• Odorant: The rotten-egg smell gas companies add to natural gas so you can notice a leak.
• Tip-over shutoff: A switch that turns a space heater off if it gets knocked over.
• Carbon monoxide (CO): A gas you can’t see or smell that can come from fuel-burning heaters, stoves and engines. A CO alarm warns you.
• Listeria: A germ that can grow in some foods, even in the fridge. It’s most dangerous for pregnant women, babies, older adults and people with weak immune systems.
• Lot code: The date or number printed on a package that tells which batch it came from.
• Prediabetes: Blood sugar that’s higher than normal but not high enough to be diabetes. It’s a warning light you can often turn off.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pikeville Clinic closed for good?

No one has said so. The Bledsonian-Banner reports the clinic has temporarily stopped operating and that no timeframe for reopening has been given. Pikeville Urgent Care, a separate business, is open and seeing patients at 344 E. Church St., (423) 447-2992.

How do I become a patient at Mountain Bend Medical Associates?

Call 423-949-6300 to set up a new-patient appointment. The clinic is at 29 Crestview Drive in Dunlap and says spots are limited. Bring your insurance card, your list of medicines and, if you can, your records from your old office.

I smell gas but it’s faint. Is that an emergency?

Middle Tennessee Natural Gas says to look into it right away, and if you can’t find and fix the source, call them; they’ll inspect at no charge. If the smell is strong or you hear hissing, get everyone out first and call from outside. Don’t flip switches or use the house phone.

Is it safe to use a space heater overnight?

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says to turn portable heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room. Use extra blankets instead, and keep working smoke and CO alarms in the house.

How do I know if my cheese is part of the recall?

Look for the Family Farmstead brand, “Raw Mild Cheddar” or “Raw Sharp Cheddar,” in an 8-ounce plastic-wrapped package with a lot date of 10/16/27 or earlier. The company says no other Family Farmstead products are included. Return it to the store or call (607) 397-4044.

What’s the simplest way to lower my diabetes risk?

Move a little every day, aiming for about 150 minutes a week, and ask your doctor or pharmacist about a blood sugar test. Small, steady changes matter more than big, short-lived ones.

🔗 Other Resources

• The Bledsonian-Banner: Pikeville Clinic LLC temporarily closed
• Dunlap.Today: Mountain Bend Medical Associates takes new patients · 423-949-6300
• Dunlap.Today: Pikeville Urgent Care remains open · (423) 447-2992
• Dunlap.Today: MobileMOC free clinic Thursday · (423) 425-1657
• Dunlap.Today: Warning signs of a natural gas leak
• Middle Tennessee Natural Gas: Safety First · 1-833-438-6864 (24/7)
• Tennessee State Fire Marshal: Winter fire safety tips
• Tennessee State Fire Marshal: Portable heater safety
• FDA: Family Farmstead Dairy cheddar recall
• FDA: All current recalls
• Dunlap.Today: Diabetes Awareness Month small steps
• Chattanoogan.com: Free diabetes awareness event Nov. 13
• Tennessee Lookout: Second year of rural health money
• Sequatchie County Health Department · (423) 949-3619 (reopens Thursday)
• National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (veterans press 1)

🌻 A Doctor’s Door, a Warm House and One Small Step

None of this needs worry. When one clinic closes for a while, another opens its doors a little earlier. When the cold comes, a few minutes of checking keeps the house safe and warm. When a recall comes out, a quick look in the fridge settles it. And when it comes to diabetes, the first step really is just a step. Enjoy this sunny Veterans Day, thank a veteran if you see one, and get the house ready for a cozy weekend.

For more calm, useful news for the Sequatchie Valley every morning, read Dunlap.Today. To find local clinics, pharmacies and businesses, visit Dunlap.Directory.