SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane NAACP branch released a statement Saturday morning saying the organization was "concerned by the sudden, secretive and untimely demand" that Dr. Bob Lutz resign as Spokane County Health Officer.
SRHD Administrative Officer Amelia Clark asked Dr. Lutz for his resignation on Thursday, Oct. 29. A public meeting where the Board will vote on whether to terminate Lutz has yet to be scheduled.
The statement from the NAACP called Dr. Lutz "a thoughtful and genuine ally" before and during the pandemic.
Dr. Lutz reportedly included race-specific data in county data related to COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and mortality rates after a request from the NAACP so that "impacts on our communities of color could be monitored and responded to effectively," the statement reads in part.
Dr. Lutz also appointed a liaison to the NAACP's healthcare committee and agreed to be interviewed by the organization about the pandemic, the statement reads.
"Dr. Lutz has championed the causes of all our marginalized communities tirelessly and has made health equity a priority for the health district," the statement reads.
Health district leaders said they are in the process of recruiting another health officer, with help from Washington state, but they did not clarify a timeline for filling the vacant position. Clark said she will begin the recruitment process "as soon as possible."
The Spokane NAACP called the board's recent decisions "vague and dismissive, creating confusion and providing little to no answers."
"This serves only to create anxiety and division in a community that can tolerate neither. In fact, uniting our community is our collective goal. We must do better, as the citizens of Spokane deserve better," the statement reads.