Investigates
Nashville health director authorized distribution of private patient data
At the center of continued controversy over sharing COVID-19 patient information with police is Dr. Michael Caldwell, who stepped into the job as the city’s newest public health director the day after Nashville’s first identified coronavirus case. It was Caldwell who decided to provide lists with the names and addresses of positive COVID-19 individuals in […]
Administration ends practice of sharing patient information with law enforcement
Gov. Bill Lee’s administration will stop giving daily lists of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 to law enforcement, but the sharing of private patient information continues in Tennessee’s capitol city. The practice of sharing patient information with law enforcement and first responders drew outrage from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the Tennessee Black […]
Despite bans on large gatherings, a local Little League returns to practice
[bctt tweet=”Just in from @tnnaterau: GOP Majority Whip @JohnnyGarrett4 flouts @GovBillLee rules on crowd size, cranks up Little League baseball practice. ” username=”TNLookout”]While the Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Nashville SC and Tennessee Titans remain sidelined because of the COVID-19 pandemic with no public plans for returning to play, one prominent Middle Tennessee little league announced […]
Release of health data to law enforcement raises privacy concerns
The release of private health information of Tennesseans who have tested positive for COVID-19 to law enforcement by Gov. Bill Lee’s administration is facing pushback from lawmakers, advocates for minority communities and at least one police force that originally agreed to get the information. The Tennessee Black Caucus on Saturday called on Lee to end […]
UPDATE: List of Law Enforcement Agencies with MOUs
The Tennessee Department of Health has provided a list of law enforcement agencies in the state that have entered into memorandums of understanding with the state to accept personal data about COVID-19 patients in their jurisdictions. As the Tennessee Lookout reported earlier, Gov. Bill Lee requested the Department of Health to provide daily updates to […]
Health department gives names, addresses of Tennesseans with COVID-19 to law enforcement
The Department of Health is providing the names and addresses of Tennessee residents who test positive for COVID-19 to sheriffs and chiefs of police across the state on a daily basis — a practice raising deep concerns about privacy and government intrusion into the lives of ordinary citizens. The offer to share the otherwise protected […]