Phillip Tarte was dismissed at the end of January 2021 after more than a year of complaints were waged against him in his role as public health director. (Port City Daily photo/Alexandria Sands)
NEW HANOVER COUNTY Days before the Covid-19 virus first rooted in New Hanover County, then-health director Phillip Tarte was on the brink of losing his job for the second time as his supervisor continued to levy accusations of incompetence.
It was March 2020, and Kathy Stoute, assistant county manager in charge of New Hanover County Department of Health and Human Services, wanted New Hanover County Public Health Director Phillip Tarte removed.
Vaccinations continue across New Hanover County, including at the MLK Center downtown on 10th Street. (Port City Daily/Courtesy of New Hanover County)
SOUTHEASTERN NC For the first time in months, North Carolina is experiencing a downtick in cases as more than 1 million vaccines roll out in the state’s battle against Covid-19. The combination of less cases and more vaccines administered is the way to overcome this year-long worldwide pandemic, according to scientists and health professionals.
On the County Alert System, 66 North Carolina counties are in the red zone, indicating critical viral spread, while 33 are in the orange, showing substantial spread; six remain in the yellow with significant spread. New Hanover has been downgraded to orange, while Brunswick and Pender remain red.
Residents wait at the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center for a Covid-19 vaccine. Although the state indicates around 23,000 first doses have been administered in the county, a spokesperson said that number is higher in reality. (Port City Daily/Courtesy of New Hanover County)
NEW HANOVER COUNTY â Delays in logging Covid-19 vaccinations have resulted in the actual total of county vaccinations being higher than the number currently reflected on the
According to vaccine allocation totals obtained by Port City Daily, 33,925 combined first doses had been shipped to vaccine providers in New Hanover County â including the hospital and local health department, as well as a few hundred doses for Med North â prior to this week. At the same time, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services dashboard indicated Monday only 22,399 first doses had been administered.
Honor system used for vaccine By Michael Praats | February 2, 2021 at 6:24 AM EST - Updated February 2 at 7:06 AM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - In an effort to distribute the vaccine to the most vulnerable guidelines have been put in place restricting who is eligible to receive their shots, but, those administering the vaccines for New Hanover County arenât asking for any sort of proof for those who do get vaccinated.
The state Department of Health and Human Services has set the guidelines for those wanting to get vaccinated and issued a five-tier list for residents since supplies are low.
âA free COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all who want it, but supplies will be limited at first. We want to make sure people are vaccinated as quickly and fairly as possible, starting with people who are more likely to get COVID-19 and those more likely to get dangerously sick from it,â according to the NC DHHS.
Former New Hanover County Health Director Philip Tarte signs a beam at the now-finished Department of Health and Human Services headquarters. The reasons for Tarte’s departure are unclear. (Port City Daily/Courtesy New Hanover County)
NEW HANOVER COUNTY Phillip Tarte, the director of the New Hanover County Health Department, is no longer employed with the agency, a county spokesperson confirmed Friday. The county’s website lists David Howard previously Tarte’s deputy as interim health director.
Commissioner Rob Zapple said Friday that County Manager Chris Coudriet told commissioners Tarte is no longer employed by New Hanover County.
Tarte was hired in 2016 to lead an agency with 120 employees and a budget of nearly $11.6 million, according to a report at the time by StarNews Media. His starting salary was $130,000. Tarte is from Whiteville and worked as health director of Union County prior to coming to New Hanover.