Tenn. vaccine chief, fired after promoting COVID shots, gets $150K settlement
Dr. Michelle Fiscus was fired after sending a memo on vaccination rights of minors.
Enlarge / Dr. Michelle Fiscus poses for a portrait in her home. Fiscus was the Medical Director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health until she was fired. (credit: Getty | William DeShazer)
The state of Tennessee will pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the state's former top vaccination official who was fired in July 2021 after promoting COVID-19 vaccinations in the early stages of the deadly delta wave.
The state claimed Fiscus was fired over complaints about her leadership approach and her handling of an informational letter to health providers regarding the state's law on the vaccination rights of minors. Fiscus countered with a point-by-point rebuttal of the state's claims, releasing years of performance reviews that rated her work as "outstanding."
Fiscus claims she was actually fired after her efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccinations outraged GOP state lawmakers who "bought into the anti-vaccine misinformation," she alleged in a lengthy statement published by The Tennessean.