Ahead of his confirmation, McKee's pick to lead Health Department defends RI's pandemic response

PROVIDENCE – When Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Larkin finally got his turn to speak, he told a room full of senators and colleagues in the Rhode Island medical world: "It's the fondest wish of any Irishman to attend their own wake, and I feel like that's what I've been doing this afternoon."

Larkin was, of course, very much alive and on his way to becoming Rhode Island's next director of health with a 6-to-1 vote of confidence from the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services last Thursday after a parade of character witnesses sang his praises.

The full Senate voted 33-to-2 on Tuesday to confirm his appointment.

Larkin will take on a major state job held by a string of acting directors since the January 2022 resignation of the high-profile Nicole Alexander Scott.

More: McKee names new state health director. Here's who got the job

Here's what witnesses had to say about Larkin

Those who came to sing his praises cited the broad array of his skills as a doctor and professor at Brown University's medical school, his humility and his broad range of his experience – including his stint in the Peace Corps teaching high school in Liberia – on his way to law school "when I decided to go to medical school instead."

Dr. Timothy Flanigan, a fellow professor at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University, said he was an "outstanding infectious-disease doctor" with "very good public-health common sense."

"I think he would make an excellent head of the Department of Health in Rhode Island," he said.

Dr. Sabina Holland, an assistant dean of medicine at Brown, said: "He has the reputation for being a fierce advocate, exceptional teacher and supportive colleague."

Others cited his work with "some of the most underserved populations in Rhode Island" at TB and Immunology (HIV) clinics, while Dr. Louis Rice, the physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine at Brown, noted that, as a long-term member of the Tiverton School Committee, "he is no stranger to political discussion."

Larkin speaks on his experience

Of his 12 years on the School Committee, the last seven as the chairman, Larkin said: "I am the veteran of 12 hard-fought budget seasons. Some have been scorched earth, some have been merely trench warfare. I believe if you can understand the budget of a small-to-medium sized school district, you have a better-than-even chance of understanding the budget of the Pentagon."

He did not mention a 2020 controversy that rocked the Tiverton School Committee during his time as chair: The firing of Amy Mullen − a teacher who doubled as head of the local teachers union − for speaking up about wanting to discuss distance learning as it pertained to her member teachers. Larkin was in the majority that had voted to suspend her without pay and then terminate her at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Mullen filed suit soon after her termination, saying she was retaliated against by the district for speaking on behalf of her union members. The district said she was terminated for “unprofessional and disruptive behavior.”

She was reinstated after U.S. District Court Chief Justice John J. McConnell Jr. concluded that her First Amendment rights had been violated.

What about Rhode Island's pandemic response?

The only nay vote that day came from Republican Rep. Elaine Morgan of Hopkinton, who opted to vote against his appointment after hearing his answers to her questions about what Rhode Island did during the pandemic.

"How do you feel Rhode Island handled the pandemic overall?" she asked.

In his response, Larkin said:

"I would look at a map. Boston's here, New York's here. They had a pandemic. We're here. We were very lucky in our leadership across the state. And that's not just the Department of Health ... it's also people pulling together.

"So I'd say we did a great job. Retrospectively, there's always things that perhaps could have been handled differently, but I think we dodged a bullet,'' he said.

"Closing down the state. Would you do that again?" she asked.

Given what was known at the time about the COVID pandemic, he said, yes.

When the state closed down, he said, they were learning about the virus, its transmission and risk factors in real time. He called it unfortunate that governments "trying to make the best decision they can in that one fixed moment in time get criticized later on. [But] do I think the decision is right to shut down in March of 2020? At that time, yes."

"Considering what we do know now from the pandemic, would you mask our kids again?" Morgan asked.

And again, Larkin said yes, as it "was critical to allowing kids back in school."

Senate Republican Leader Jessica de la Cruz told colleagues she would vote for Larkin based on his assurance to her that he understood "the delicate balance" between individual rights, "deeply held religious convictions" and public health, "particularly in the context of mandatory vaccinations."

"I will vote to affirm Dr. Larkin with the expectation that he does not take a blanket policy approach that ignores thousands of Rhode Islanders," she said.

Who is Dr. Jerome 'Jerry' Larkin?

He is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, medical director of the Inpatient Infectious Diseases Consultation Service at Rhode Island Hospital and from 2010-20 was co-director of the pediatric HIV Clinic at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, according to his online biography. He has also authored multiple publications and book chapters, including articles on ticks, tick-related illnesses and Lyme disease in children and pregnant women.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ahead of his confirmation, McKee's pick to lead Health Department defends RI's pandemic response