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NASHVILLE – Public health officials across the country quit their jobs, strained by an unprecedented pandemic, then tested further as the coronavirus and vaccines became entangled in politics and misinformation.
In Tennessee, the state’s top immunization official, Michelle Fiscus, said this week she was forced to quit her job after writing a memo describing 34-year-old legal doctrine that suggested some adolescents could be vaccinated without their parents’ permission. Dr Fiscus’ memo came as conservative state lawmakers lashed out at his agency’s efforts to educate teens about vaccines.
A Republican lawmaker, Scott Cepicky, accused the agency of using “peer pressure” to entice young people to get vaccinated.
In a long and heart-wrenching statement describing his departure, Dr Fiscus said the actions of lawmakers have put the public at serious risk by undermining confidence in vaccines even as cases of the virus rise in Tennessee and concerns about the Delta variant is emerging in parts of the country.
“I am not a political agent, I am a doctor who was, until today, responsible for protecting the people of Tennessee, including their children, from preventable diseases like Covid-19,” wrote Dr. Fiscus. His dismissal was reported by The Tennessean.
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Health declined on Tuesday to comment on the sacking of Dr Fiscus, medical director of the agency for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs, saying the agency could not discuss personnel matters.
Tennessee is among states where the virus has gained traction as vaccination efforts have failed, leaving public health officials grappling with political resistance and false information about the safety of the shots.
Like much of the country, the outlook for the Tennessee virus has improved dramatically since the winter, when cases soared. But over the past two weeks, the number of new cases reported has increased, with an average of more than 460 cases per day statewide, according to a New York Times database. Yet the vaccination rate has stalled; about 43 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, behind a national rate of 55 percent.
Anger from lawmakers escalated after Dr Fiscus’ note was circulated to medical providers explaining a so-called mature minors doctrine, which allows doctors to treat patients between the ages of 14 and 18 without parental consent. under a 1987 state Supreme Court ruling. The memo reiterated publicly available information on the Department of Health’s website for years.
In recent weeks, lawmakers have pointed to the memo and the agency’s social media ads, saying the department is going too far in its efforts to reach teens. During the hearings, lawmakers even raised the possibility of dissolving the department.
“When you have ads like this, with a young girl with a patch on her arm, all smiles,” Mr. Cepicky said as he held up a print from a social media post at a recent hearing. “We all know how impressionable our young people are and want to fit into life.”
During that hearing last month, Lisa Piercey, the state’s health commissioner, sought to allay the concerns of lawmakers, saying, “In no way does the department encourage children to get vaccinated without it. parental consent.
She said she was only aware of eight cases in which doctrine was invoked to vaccinate a minor. Three of them were her own children, she said, vaccinated while she was at work.
The department has since canceled its campaign, removing messages informing the public that people 12 and older can be vaccinated.
In his statement, Dr Fiscus, who had been a pediatrician practicing in suburban Nashville before joining the health department, said his dismissal reflected the difficult climate for public health officials, who generally had low profiles. before the pandemic but were suddenly in the spotlight of a complicated and politically resentful situation.
“Along the way, we have been denigrated, belittled, accused and at times vilified by a public that chooses not to believe in science,” wrote Dr. Fiscus, “and elected and appointed officials who put forward their own interest above the people. they were chosen to represent and protect.
“It was MY job,” she added, “to provide evidence-based education and access to vaccines so Tennesseans could protect themselves against Covid-19. I have now been fired for doing just that.
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