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Tennessee Department of Health

‘We’ll be a partner’ versus ‘we’ll see you in court’ — officials far apart on federal funding disruptions

Catherine Sweeney

May 4, 2025

Tennessee has suddenly lost hundreds of millions of dollars as the federal government cancels promised funding, and recent reactions from two prominent elected officials differ sharply.

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: Bill Lee, federal funding freeze, Freddie O'Connell, Metro budget, Tennessee Department of Health

More whiplash for Tennessee’s Title X family planning funding after Trump freezes and reinstatements

Catherine Sweeney

April 29, 2025

Tennessee’s Title X funding has been on a rollercoaster for years, and the drama is continuing into President Donald Trump’s second term.

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: Planned Parenthood, reproductive health, Tennessee Department of Health, Title X

Nashville prosecutor recommends federal inquiry into the dog muzzle received by Tennessee’s ousted vaccine chief

Alexis Marshall

March 14, 2022

Michelle Fiscus

There’s no evidence that Tennessee’s fired vaccine chief purchased the dog muzzle that was sent to her amid heated controversy last year, according to a memo from the Nashville District Attorney’s office.

Filed Under: Coronavirus Live Updates, Health Care Tagged With: Michelle Fiscus, Tennessee Department of Health

In Tennessee, don’t expect any more COVID contact tracing calls — for now

Blake Farmer

February 11, 2022

Listen

The state is winding down its increasingly futile attempts to investigate positive COVID cases and alert those who’ve been exposed, which means Tennesseans are pretty much on their own with contact tracing at this point.

Filed Under: Coronavirus Live Updates, Health Care, WPLN News Tagged With: contact tracing, Coronavirus In Tennessee, COVID-19, Leslie Waller, Lisa Piercey, Metro Public Health, Tennessee Department of Health

Tennessee may funnel big money into dental schools in hopes of getting grads into rural areas

Blake Farmer

November 15, 2021

A proposal from the Tennessee Department of Health would expand dental school class sizes and forgive tuition for those who end up working in high-need areas. The five-year, $94 million pilot project was floated to Gov. Bill Lee during this month’s budget hearings.

Filed Under: Health Care, WPLN News Tagged With: dental health, Lisa Piercey, oral health, Tennessee Department of Health

Gov. Lee Supports Firing Of Vaccine Director But Says He Didn’t Suggest It

Caroline Eggers

July 22, 2021

Tennessee’s governor has come out in support of the health department’s recent actions that landed the state in the national spotlight — that being the firing of the state’s top vaccine official, Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Fiscus, which prompted questions about vaccine outreach to children.

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: Bill Lee, Coronavirus In Tennessee, coronavirus vaccine, COVID, COVID-19, Department of Health, Shelley Fiscus, Tennessee Department of Health, Vaccines

Leadership That Fired Tennessee’s Top Vaccine Expert Gave Her Glowing Performance Reviews

Emily Siner

July 15, 2021

According to performance reviews of Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the Tennessee vaccine official had been praised for exceeding expectations and being attentive to her team, which directly contradicts a memo that the health department sent to media outlets after her firing this week.

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: Coronavirus In Tennessee, coronavirus vaccine, COVID, COVID-19, Tennessee Department of Health, Vaccines

‘I’m Not A Political Operative’: Tennessee’s Ousted Vaccine Official Says Lawmakers’ Opinions Overrode Science

Paige Pfleger

July 15, 2021

Listen

Fiscus was fired this week and has since landed squarely at the center of a national controversy. She says she was ousted because of an on-going battle between science and politics.

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: coronavirus vaccine, COVID-19, Tennessee Department of Health

Lawmaker Asks For An Explanation Of Why State’s Top Vaccine Expert Was Fired

Nina Cardona

July 13, 2021

bottle containing COVID-19 vaccine on a white backdrop

After the firing of Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the now-former medical director at the Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons is calling for an explanation from the governor and the health commissioner.

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics, WPLN News Tagged With: Department of Health, John Ray Clemmons, Tennessee Department of Health

Following High Case Counts, Tennessee’s Pandemic Tracking Site Goes Down

Blake FarmerandTony Gonzalez

June 29, 2020

Tennessee’s online reporting system for collecting coronavirus test results failed over the weekend. Because of the technical problems, the state released no data Sunday at its pandemic website.

Filed Under: Coronavirus Live Updates Tagged With: Coronavirus In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Health

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