NASHVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE 7/16/2021 - 2:00 p.m. - Days after she was fired under pressure from Republican legislators, Tennessee's former vaccinations director has issued a point-by-point rebuttal to a letter that recommended her removal.
The letter from the state's chief medical officer said Michelle Fiscus should be removed due to complaints about her leadership approach and a letter she sent about vaccination rights of minors, among other things.
Fiscus accuses Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey of firing her on Monday "to appease a handful of outraged and uninformed legislators."
Now she's pointing to years of glowing performance reviews and other detailed information to rebut the state's justification.
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10:15 a.m. - Tennessee's chief medical officer reasoned that the state's now-fired vaccination leader should be let go in part due to complaints about her leadership approach and how she handled a letter about vaccination rights of minors that incensed some Republican state lawmakers.
Those were among several complaints Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tim Jones wrote in recommending the termination of Dr. Michelle Fiscus in a letter dated July 9.
The document was obtained through a public records request.
Fiscus is speaking widely after her firing Monday, which she has said was a political move to appease lawmakers who disapproved of the state Department of Health's outreach to get teens vaccinated for COVID-19.
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7/14/2021 - Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus released the following statement on the firing of Dr. Fiscus:
"Governor Lee has chosen abandonment over governing. He has chosen to make our state unsafe, unhealthy, and uneducated through his lack of leadership and incompetent decision-making on issues ranging from the refusal to expand Medicaid to enacting permitless carry laws.
However, his latest action to fire Dr. Michelle Fiscus, his silence on reports that the Tennessee Department of Health has decided to halt all vaccine outreach to kids, and the issuance of an order to Tennessee Health officials to not acknowledge that August is National Immunization Awareness Month, set a dangerous new precedent. The Governor has abandoned the most consequential compact between the people of Tennessee and its government: to promote the general welfare of every citizen.
His actions have exacerbated the erosion of leadership from the Republican-controlled legislative and executive branches of our state government. It is a reminder of the fringe ideology that has consumed the Republican Party and its elected representatives. We’re calling on the Governor to reinstate Dr.Fiscus and to recommit the Tennessee Department of Health to carrying out its mission to protect, promote, and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee."
Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), the chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said in a statement: “A well respected member of the public health community was sacrificed in favor of anti-vaccine ideology. This disgraceful hatchet job is going to endanger the lives of unvaccinated Tennesseans at a time when we have a safe and reliable way to protect our families from this virus. A disappointing and poor decision.”
Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) reacted on Twitter, saying, “Well folks, this is just insane.”
Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) said “We cannot afford to ignore the chilling effect that this is having. It will make this public health emergency worse by order of magnitudes.”
TN House Democratic Leader Karen Camper issued this statement:
“I am not disappointed by what is happening in the legislature and the administration in regards to the Tennessee Department of Health and vaccinations: I am angry. I cannot fathom how anyone can think that shutting down vaccinations, withdrawing information resources and encouraging Tennesseans to not get vaccinated is a positive thing for our state. Threats from members of the legislature on the Government Operations Committee to dissolve the department—while we are still in the midst of the pandemic and COVID-19 cases are going back up—are beyond the pale. To create a Sword of Damocles to hang above our dedicated health department staff and the firing of Dr. Michelle Fiscus (our top vaccine specialist) because she had the audacity to do her job is leadership malpractice. The majority party is attempting to silence hardworking and dedicated public servants to serve a political end. Public health does not see party lines and affects every Tennessean.
To put our children at risk is unconscionable. We are not just talking about the COVID-19 vaccine. Children and parents are going to lose out on information concerning measles vaccines, the HPV vaccine, and many more. We have eradicated diseases that in our lifetime devastated the lives of children and families. We are forgetting too quickly how far we have come in medicine and public health. I call on Gov. Lee and my Republican colleagues to stand with our health professionals—not threaten them.
I join with my colleagues in Democratic leadership in demanding answers from the Lee Administration and those members who think they are winning by hurting the people of our state. And this is not something that just happened within the past few weeks. Our county health departments have been under siege even during the past year in the pandemic and this is another attack on dedicated professionals.
Now is not the time for political retribution and the continued pushing of bad science: now is the time for leadership. The citizens of Tennessee need it and deserve it.”
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7/13/2021 - Tennessee officials have fired the state's top vaccination official, who had been facing scrutiny from Republican state lawmakers over her department's outreach efforts to vaccinate teenagers against COVID-19.
Dr. Michelle Fiscus, with the Tennessee Department of Health, tells The Tennessean that she was fired Monday as a scapegoat to appease lawmakers.
She provided the newspaper with a copy of her termination letter, which does not explain the reasoning for her dismissal.
Health Department spokesperson Sarah Tanksley said the agency would not comment on the termination.
As of Monday, state and federal data showed 38% of Tennesseans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, lagging behind much of the nation.