Former SRHD Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz talks
Dr. Bob Lutz, the former health officer for Spokane Regional Health District, is still actively involved in public service despite considering himself partially retired. The 64-year-old physician continues to care for vulnerable populations through the CHAS Health Street Medicine team while serving as the health officer for the Asotin County Health District in southeastern Washington. On other days, Lutz dedicates his time to environmental causes, volunteering with The Lands Council to water trees and plant shrubs. His commitment to the outdoors stems from personal experience; he has spent weeks exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska with his wife, Amy, emphasizing that direct nature experience offers distinct health benefits compared to viewing scenery on a screen.
From Lawsuit to Endowment
Lutz is channeling the financial settlement from his wrongful termination case into creating an endowment focused on outdoor experiences and education for young people. In May, the Spokane Regional Health District agreed to pay him $1.65 million to resolve the lawsuit stemming from his firing in October 2020. He stated that the money was never his primary concern; instead, he sought justice for what he viewed as an injustice to public health. “I took a stand for public health and for the public’s health. It wasn’t about me,” he said. “From the get-go, I truly believed we would win, and the settlement kind of demonstrates that.”
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Reflecting on the pandemic’s onset, Lutz recalled a sense of naivete regarding the virus’s spread. While the first confirmed case in the country appeared in Snohomish County in January 2020, he believed Spokane would remain unaffected until cases multiplied in the Seattle area. “Our first case was March 14,” Lutz said. “I remember vividly my epidemiologist staff person called me in to tell me we had a mother and two kids as our first cases.” He noted that predicting the trajectory of the virus was difficult, famously stating that if three cases existed, thirty cases would follow shortly after.
The Political Nature of Public Health
Lutz asserts that governmental public health agencies are inherently political, a dynamic that intensified during the pandemic. He explained that the necessity of working with elected officials meant the SRHD had previously maintained a positive relationship with its board of health. This collaboration shifted significantly as the pandemic progressed and public health measures became politicized. The pressure to balance lives against livelihoods was particularly challenging. “Arguing to put livelihoods in front of lives is really challenging when you’re a public health person and a physician,” he said. “And for me, I have to save a life, and every life is essential.”
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After his departure from Spokane, Lutz returned to public health almost immediately. In December 2020, he joined the Washington State Department of Health as a COVID-19 medical adviser. He described the irony of this role, noting that while he was no longer leading the response in Spokane, his work at the state level created guidance that would eventually be implemented by local jurisdictions. Much of this state-level strategy was developed from his home office, joking that it was “Bob’s basement next to the washer and dryer.”
