It was early April, still the beginning days of the pandemic, but already Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter had become the local face and voice of the fight against COVID-19. The stoic demeanor. The calm speaking voice. The dark hair pulled back in a bun, a serious face framed by large glasses.
For nearly a year Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter has worked around the clock to handle the pandemic locally. Dr. Haushalter is also an associate professor of Advance Practice and Doctoral Studies for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing. A part of that work is communicating the facts… Read More
The Memphis Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has selected Alisa Haushalter, DNP, RN., Director of the Shelby County Health Department, as its Communicator of the Year for 2020. The 2020 Communicator of the Year Award reflects Dr. Haushalter’s unflappable courage in leading the community throughout the pandemic, always with eye toward… Read More
Despite quickly distributing the vaccines the state sends it, Shelby County is moving through the vaccination stages slower than many other Tennessee counties. During a pair of news conferences this week, local officials discussed this phenomenon and the future of the county’s current business restrictions.
Memphis and Shelby County are experiencing the highest rates of COVID-19 infection and hospitalizations since the pandemic arrived in March 2020. Meanwhile, vaccinations in the community are off to a bumpy start, which health officials attribute to supply uncertainties.
Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease expert in Memphis, recently said of COVID-19: “Inescapable …. you will either get the disease or get the vaccine.” As we near the one-year mark of the pandemic, the early days of the vaccine rollout have been uneven. Perhaps it was naïve to expect anything different. Perhaps this, like… Read More
The phone line — 901-222-SHOT (7468) — to schedule appointments (for those without internet access) was scheduled to open this morning, but Health Department staff took appointments over the weekend, according to director Alisa Haushalter. The online signup opened last Friday.
As the COVID-19 vaccine supply in Shelby County remains low, discussions continue on distribution to all communities countywide when the allotment improves. To reach state and federal targets of vaccinating 70% of the population this year, equitable access of the vaccine to all parts of the county is critical, particularly in majority-Black neighborhoods of Memphis… Read More
