Remember that time when former Commissioner of Health, Lisa Piercey, VIC (vaccinator-in-chief) was brought before the Government Operations Committee in 2021 because her department was using state funds to advertise to and push the COVID shot on minors? Well, I’ll never forget it.
Since then, Dr. Piercey was fired and the TN Department of Health has been under interim leadership, until now. On November 22nd, Governor Bill Lee made his new appointment to run our state’s health department, a state senator from Kentucky, Ralph Alvarado.
While he is a licensed medical professional, there is much more to Mr. Alvarado. Here are a few things you might want to know about the new man in charge of coordinating health services in the state of Tennessee.
Alvarado was first elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 2014. In 2016, Alvarado sponsored SB 6 to institute a new process for individuals to file medical claims via medical review panels. The bill passed and essentially violated the constitutional rights of individuals because it delayed their access to the courts. A lawsuit was filed and in 2018 and the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down the law stating:
“Of all the rights guaranteed by state constitutions but absent from the federal Bill of Rights, the guarantee of a right of access to the courts to obtain a remedy for injury is possibly the most important.”
“Chapter 216C is an unacceptable deviation from the ‘[t]he right of every individual in society to access a system of justice to redress wrongs.’”
“Almost 200 years ago, this Commonwealth’s highest court “found that access to courts was ‘clearly indicative of the duty which the functionaries of the government owe to the citizens’ and that if ‘it shall occur that the right of the citizen has been invaded contrary to the constitution, it is the duty of the judiciary to shield him from oppression.’”
“Neither legislatures nor courts have the right to add to or take from the simple words and meaning of the constitution.”
Clearly, Mr. Alvarado’s efforts in passing this legislation did not get a favorable review from the state’s high court. It is concerning that the very first significant act of Mr. Alvarado as a newly elected state senator was to push a bill that abrogated the constitutional rights of his constituents and gave deference to the medical community over the concerns of patients.
But the problems do not stop there.
According to medical freedom activists in Kentucky, Sen. Alvarado as the Chairman of the Senate Health Committee, was the primary adversary in getting legislation passed that would have protected the rights of individuals to make their own medical decisions, free from the mandates of governments and employers. One of those measures was this year in 2022, HB 28 sponsored by Rep. Savannah Maddox, now a Republican candidate for Kentucky Governor.
Starting at 1:24:50, watch Rep. Maddox present the bill (that had already passed the House) before the Senate Health Committee for consideration. Then at 1:36:10 on the same video, watch Sen. Alvarado belittle Rep. Maddox in her attempts to get the bill passed in the Senate. His contempt for her efforts is clear.
I spoke with a representative from the organization Kentucky Stands Up who followed this piece of legislation closely and was present in the committee hearing for HB 28. You might notice on the video that only persons who opposed the bill were allowed to speak. According to Kentucky Stands Up, the room was full of citizens who had signed up to speak before the committee in support of the bill. To their disappointment, Sen. Alvarado did not allow even one person to testify in support of HB 28.
For you Tennesseans who followed our 2022 legislative session, does that sound familiar?
Not only did Sen. Alvarado just win his bid for reelection to the Kentucky State Senate, but he ran for Lt. Governor in 2019 and just a few short months ago was contemplating running for Governor. Additionally, Sen. Alvarado was a speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Translation, while Sen. Alvarado is a physician, he is a seasoned politician.
And so, one has to ask themselves about Governor Lee’s intentions behind appointing someone like Mr. Alvarado as Tennessee’s new Commissioner of Health set to officially take office in January 2023.
My expectations? I think Lisa Piercey was just a drop in the bucket. I expect the political activism from our Department of Health to be through the roof and if the last two years have been any indication, Commissioner Alvarado will use his political prowess to wield the sword of the TN Department of Health in the General Assembly on behalf of Lee’s administration.
Mr. Alvarado already has a proven history of passing unconstitutional legislation and opposing efforts to secure individual liberties, especially when it comes to issues concerning healthcare and the medical community.
Governor Lee appointed a new Commissioner of Health while you were focused on your turkey dinner.
Remember that time when former Commissioner of Health, Lisa Piercey, VIC (vaccinator-in-chief) was brought before the Government Operations Committee in 2021 because her department was using state funds to advertise to and push the COVID shot on minors? Well, I’ll never forget it.
Since then, Dr. Piercey was fired and the TN Department of Health has been under interim leadership, until now. On November 22nd, Governor Bill Lee made his new appointment to run our state’s health department, a state senator from Kentucky, Ralph Alvarado.
While he is a licensed medical professional, there is much more to Mr. Alvarado. Here are a few things you might want to know about the new man in charge of coordinating health services in the state of Tennessee.
Alvarado was first elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 2014. In 2016, Alvarado sponsored SB 6 to institute a new process for individuals to file medical claims via medical review panels. The bill passed and essentially violated the constitutional rights of individuals because it delayed their access to the courts. A lawsuit was filed and in 2018 and the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down the law stating:
Clearly, Mr. Alvarado’s efforts in passing this legislation did not get a favorable review from the state’s high court. It is concerning that the very first significant act of Mr. Alvarado as a newly elected state senator was to push a bill that abrogated the constitutional rights of his constituents and gave deference to the medical community over the concerns of patients.
But the problems do not stop there.
According to medical freedom activists in Kentucky, Sen. Alvarado as the Chairman of the Senate Health Committee, was the primary adversary in getting legislation passed that would have protected the rights of individuals to make their own medical decisions, free from the mandates of governments and employers. One of those measures was this year in 2022, HB 28 sponsored by Rep. Savannah Maddox, now a Republican candidate for Kentucky Governor.
Starting at 1:24:50, watch Rep. Maddox present the bill (that had already passed the House) before the Senate Health Committee for consideration. Then at 1:36:10 on the same video, watch Sen. Alvarado belittle Rep. Maddox in her attempts to get the bill passed in the Senate. His contempt for her efforts is clear.
I spoke with a representative from the organization Kentucky Stands Up who followed this piece of legislation closely and was present in the committee hearing for HB 28. You might notice on the video that only persons who opposed the bill were allowed to speak. According to Kentucky Stands Up, the room was full of citizens who had signed up to speak before the committee in support of the bill. To their disappointment, Sen. Alvarado did not allow even one person to testify in support of HB 28.
For you Tennesseans who followed our 2022 legislative session, does that sound familiar?
Not only did Sen. Alvarado just win his bid for reelection to the Kentucky State Senate, but he ran for Lt. Governor in 2019 and just a few short months ago was contemplating running for Governor. Additionally, Sen. Alvarado was a speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Translation, while Sen. Alvarado is a physician, he is a seasoned politician.
And so, one has to ask themselves about Governor Lee’s intentions behind appointing someone like Mr. Alvarado as Tennessee’s new Commissioner of Health set to officially take office in January 2023.
My expectations? I think Lisa Piercey was just a drop in the bucket. I expect the political activism from our Department of Health to be through the roof and if the last two years have been any indication, Commissioner Alvarado will use his political prowess to wield the sword of the TN Department of Health in the General Assembly on behalf of Lee’s administration.
Mr. Alvarado already has a proven history of passing unconstitutional legislation and opposing efforts to secure individual liberties, especially when it comes to issues concerning healthcare and the medical community.
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Gary Humble
Gary Humble