NASHVILLE – Tennessee Health Department officials on Thursday released a memo outlining their justifications for firing the state’s top vaccination official, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, who was fired Monday after lawmakers objected to a state policy of encouraging teens to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The July 9 memo, written by the department’s Chief Medical Officer Tim Jones, was provided to the Times Free Press following a public records request.
In it, Jones laid out a rationale and recommendation to Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey that Fiscus be fired, leveling a number of criticisms and justifications for doing so.
That came despite several years of annual evaluations in which Fiscus was awarded high marks and praise, with Jones himself signing off and approving the evaluations of her work as director of the Tennessee Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Program.
Fiscus said Thursday in a Times Free Press interview that “I’m in a little bit of shock at the content of that letter to justify my termination,” adding the criticisms and allegations weren’t shared with her when she was given a choice to resign or be fired.