Tam spent 24 years in the Navy, in part working as the chief operating officer for the western region of Tricare, the military’s health insurance program. He says that military background helped prepare him for the unknowns that would come with the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked if Beebe had enough protective equipment and other supplies for health care workers on the frontlines, Tam said yes — for now.
“I was in the military for a long time, and asking somebody if you have the equipment you need, the answer is, well, it depends on what the enemy will do and what the battle will look like,” he said.
Taking over in a time of crisis has helped him connect more quickly to others in the community and local elected officials than he might have during more normal times. He recalled getting a phone call from U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, asking what equipment or other help Beebe needed.
“At the end of it, he asked me, ‘So why’d you move from Santa Monica California to Lewes, Delaware?’ And my answer was, ‘Sen. Coons, because I would never, ever imagine I would have this kind of conversation with a U.S. senator asking about what we need.”