MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of many first individuals who misplaced their job over Shelby County’s dealing with of the COVID vaccine is talking out.
Dr. Judy Martin was the Chief of Nursing and Head of Immunizations on the Shelby County Well being Division. Now, she needs to clear her identify, and he or she is suing Shelby County authorities to make it occur.
April Thompson was the primary reporter she spoke with relating to the debacle that led to her being compelled out.
“One of many issues that harm essentially the most was listening to myself being mis-characterized to the general public,“ Dr. Martin mentioned.
Dr. Judy Martin talking out about her ouster from the Shelby County Well being Division only one 12 months in the past.
“It was completely not a voluntary retirement,” Dr. Martin mentioned.
Dr. Martin mentioned she grew to become the scapegoat within the peak of the COVID disaster when doses of vaccine had been allowed to run out.
She mentioned she first came upon about them when she visited the Well being Division pharmacist.
“And he or she mentioned, oh, no, that’s expired. And so, it startled me. I requested, effectively, what are you saying?” Dr. Martin mentioned.
Martin mentioned she reported it to the Well being Division Director, Alisa Haushalter, and so they each tried to succeed in the state however couldn’t get a response for days.
“As I moved into that position of being answerable for the COVID vaccine effort, I had not been aware of the details about the right way to report vaccine loss,” Dr. Martin mentioned.
She mentioned extra vaccine doses had been misplaced when faculties requested greater than they really used.
Dr. Martin mentioned all of this was throughout the peak of one of many worst snowstorms and plenty of locations, together with the Shelby County Well being Division, had been shutdown.
However, she was nonetheless getting vaccines to locations that wanted them.
“I used to be caught in ice that snow attempting to get from one location to the opposite after which known as to go to a unique location,” Dr. Martin mentioned.
Martin mentioned she even took some vaccine house to verify she might get it out to the areas.
By the point the state got here to Shelby County to research, everybody was feeling the warmth.
“I knew it was an issue as a result of I didn’t wish to be concerned in a waste scenario,” Dr. Martin mentioned.
Nevertheless, Dr. Martin feels she was the one who took the autumn.
An announcement from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris shortly after Dr. Martin’s introduced retirement mentioned, “The county had terminated a web site supervisor who allegedly offered what he described as ‘false info’”.
“The county wanted a scapegoat within the scenario. And so they blamed Ms. Martin,” Jarrett Spence, Dr. Martin’s lawyer mentioned.
Martin has filed a lawsuit searching for compensation, again pay and a reputation clearing listening to.
“And so they sought to put not simply the the falling aside on her, however extra importantly, that by some means she was answerable for misrepresenting concealing, withholding or falsifying crucial info to the following degree of presidency.” Andrew Horvath
After 18 years on the Well being Division, Dr. Martin mentioned she by no means anticipated this.
“It was extraordinarily hurtful to be blamed for the scenario,” Dr. Martin mentioned.
Shelby County officers wouldn’t touch upon the go well with.
WREG will replace as extra info turns into obtainable.