SPOKANE, Wash. — Regional Medical Officer Dr. Bob Lutz has resigned from his position with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the department confirmed Wednesday.
Dr. Lutz, who previously served as the health officer for Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD), resigned from his position with DOH on March 11, according to a statement from the department.
"We wish Dr. Lutz the best and would like to thank him for his service to public health during his more than 3 years at DOH," the statement read in part.
The department did not provide any information about why Lutz made the decision to resign.
Lutz led Spokane County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in his role with SRHD. After serving as health officer for more than three years and leading Spokane County through the pandemic, then-Spokane Regional Health District Administrator (SRHD) Amelia Clark asked Lutz to resign and he was subsequently fired in a board meeting. There was significant public outcry with thousands of emails submitted to the board in support of Dr. Lutz.
During his time with DOH, Lutz also worked with the Spokane Regional Opioid Task Force and held multiple community meetings to discuss the potential health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water.
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