The TN Dept of Health is Here to Stay

 

Lisa Piercey simply doesn't deserve any grief from the Tennessee General Assembly. And I'm not defending her just because she is a fellow graduate of Lipscomb University (I do not know her personally). I'm defending her because we need a strong Department of Health now more than ever. 

The commissioner of health and member of the cabinet of Governor Bill Lee recently got some heat from the Republican-dominated state legislature (same party) over COVID-19 vaccination ads that allegedly pressure minor children into receiving vaccinations. This was reported by The Tennessean in an article written by Brett Kelman.  

The same article reports that only 35% of our state's population is fully vaccinated. A sad stat indeed. Some say that it is a matter of political pushback in a "red state" still sore over the election of Joe Biden to the Presidency during the pandemic year of 2020. In my view, politics has no place whatsoever in fighting COVID-19. Vaccinations we needed and cried out for. Vaccinations we now have. We should publicize the fight and encourage all Tennesseans to receive "shots in arms".

In any event, the state Department of Health has local offices across the state. Only a handful of large counties such as Davidson fund their own county health departments. I am not aware of every function of our state health department. But I do know that it coordinates more vaccinations than just for COVID-19 and that it also handles vital records such as birth and death certificates.

Piercey and her fellow state health workers were nothing short of remarkable during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic nightmare. The state dashboard kept us posted daily on numbers, spikes, and necessary steps to "slow the spread" of the novel coronavirus. Commissioner Piercey was articulate, compassionate, and efficient in her press appearances. She worked with other state agencies to develop a plan to allow businesses from restaurants to recreational to open safely in the spring of 2020.

Now, with vaccinations pulling us out of the pandemic, The Tennessean reports that lawmakers such as state representative Scott Cepicky of Culleoka are ticked about advertisements that purportedly pressure children 12 and up to receive a vaccination. The General Operations Committee is now threatening to bring the health department back for a hearing and to consider dissolving and replacing it.

If state representatives and senators are concerned about the vaccination campaigns, they certainly have a right to ask questions and to summon officials for a hearing.

But if you are really thinking about dissolving such a crucial part of state government, think again. Governor Lee is Republican. Both houses of the General Assembly are controlled by Republicans. 

And the fight against COVID-19 goes way beyond any party affiliation. Go get vaccinated, folks.

James A. Rose

Publisher