Stories
Tennessee Ill-prepared for Coming Flu Season Complicated by COVID-19
As primary care providers on the front lines, we are still not equipped to do what is required to address this public health crisis.
“Mask Breaks” Are a Danger to Everyone!
My name is Alaina Snider. I’m an 11th grade student at Brighton High School in Tipton County. I have lived in this small, rural community all of my life, and look forward to continuing my studies in forensic science after I graduate from high school. At the moment, I am a distance learner, but I…
Wearing masks saves lives – my family wants Governor Lee to know and to LEAD!
My name is Beverly Smith and I want to share my story with you about why I’m asking my fellow Tennesseans to take coronavirus seriously and protect each other by wearing a mask, staying six feet apart and washing your hands. My family has been personally impacted by the spread of this disease. Last January,…
Why are we rushing to reopen schools without getting COVID-19 under control?
My name is Kristen Morjal and I am speaking as a concerned teacher, parent and wife. I speak also as an individual who is in the at-risk group for severe complications should I contract COVID-19. My husband, son, and I have self- isolated since March. We have all three, including our four year old son,…
Reopening in-person classes with a 10.2% positivity rate – this is crazy!
My name is Kathryn Vaughn and I teach art to about 800 elementary school students in Tipton County, which is the next county north of Memphis and Shelby County. My husband, a combat veteran, and I moved to TN in 2001 and I have taught in the school system since 2006. I knew from the…
Governor Lee and Mayor Ogles must listen to health experts – masks save lives
Several months ago, I was alerted by my 92-year-old mother that Dr. Aaron Milstone, my late husband’s pulmonologist, was speaking out publicly about the rapidly growing spread of the coronavirus in Tennessee, and the disastrous consequences for our state if Gov. Bill Lee did not immediately issue a stay at home order to mitigate the…
My brother died of COVID – Governor Lee’s failure to lead and protect Tennesseans
Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Daphne Foust. I have been a physician assistant since 1988. I was raised in a very small town in western Tennessee and I have one sibling, Brett Tracy, who is 4 years older than I. We grew up like most kids in a small town with…
Pediatrician Dr. Chris Keefer – “We are fighting a public health battle”
I’m Dr. Christopher Keefer, a pediatrician and associate professor at Meharry Medical College. My wife is also a physician, and we’re the parents of 13-year-old twins. On July 10th, I tested positive for COVID-19 and I self-isolated at home for a period of two weeks. Fortunately, my symptoms were very mild and my recovery was…
After failing to contain COVID-19 pandemic, 97% of Tennessee counties approach “critical” outbreak status
Harvard Global Health Institute K-12 guidance shows need for “remote learning” and potential “Stay-at-Home Orders” NASHVILLE — Even with COVID-19 infections spiking 33% in just 10 days among Tennessee’s school-age children and the pandemic worsening, Gov. Lee and some local leaders continue to push for in-person classes at public schools across the state. Meanwhile, Tennessee and most counties…
A TN School Bus Driver’s Perspective
Out of fear of losing their job, this school bus driver requested we share their story anonymously. Tell Gov. Lee and Your Local Officials: Delay In-Person Classes Until COVID-19 Is Under Control “I have to drive the bus for the elementary school kids because they are opening. My own child I signed up for online.…