Accountability
Executive Order 83 opens the door for the construction of temporary quarantine and isolation facilities in Tennessee.
Tennessee Stands,
Governor Bill Lee, with little fanfare, signed a new executive order on Friday, August 6th which may be the most bombastic yet, if not downright nefarious. And that is saying a lot considering that last year, the Governor signed orders issuing lockdowns and calling workers nonessential in addition to “encouraging” churches to remain closed.
But Executive Order 83 seems to fall right in line with the plans of the Biden Administration and sets the table in Tennessee for a healthritocracy (I totally made this word up) to literally take over state government and completely obliterate individual liberties here in our state.
Here are some of the highlights…
5. Behavioral health inpatient psychiatric residential, and crisis care staffing flexibility is permitted pursuant to an approved plan to relieve the capacity strain on certain staffing functions.
7. Health care student staffing flexibility is permitted in inpatient psychiatric and behavioral health settings pursuant to an approved plan to relieve the capacity strain on certain staffing functions.
8. Discretion to utilize National Guard and State Guard members in connection with certain health care and emergency services operations.
14. Telephone assessments for involuntary commitment cases are permitted.
16. Medical laboratory directors can monitor facilities remotely.
18. Temporary quarantine and isolation facilities may be constructed.
19. Inspection of mental health and substance abuse facilities and services are suspended.
20. Health care licensing inspections and investigations are suspended to increases resources available to fight COVID- 19 and to protect public health.
21. Inspections of health care facilities are suspended.
I strongly encourage everyone to read this executive order in its entirety and draw your own conclusions. A good portion of the EO simply addresses the need for any increased hospital capacity and allows for more healthcare workers to enter the workforce if necessary.
But there are other portions of the order that are incredibly problematic and a clear indication that our Tennessee government is fully prepared and willing to completely throw the Constitution out of the window if it feels that it is justified in doing so in the name of public health.
It would be prudent for the General Assembly to convene and call itself into session and reign in this Governor-Gone-Wild. I for one am unwilling to just wait and see how this all plays out. Seeing this EO signed by our Governor is plenty for me.
Enough is enough.