Former SRHD Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz Speaks
Dr. Bob Lutz, a former Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) health officer, continues to work in public health while pursuing personal projects that blend his love of nature with community service.
Ongoing roles in health and volunteer work
Although he describes himself as partially retired, Lutz, 64, still serves as the health officer for the Asotin County Health District in southeastern Washington, a position he has held since 2018. He also volunteers with the CHAS Health Street Medicine team, delivering care to vulnerable residents on Spokane streets. On days off, he helps the Spokane Central Lion’s Club by watering trees and planting shrubs.
From pandemic leadership to a wrongful‑termination settlement
During the early months of COVID‑19, Lutz oversaw Spokane’s first confirmed cases, reporting a family of three on March 14, 2020. He described the rapid escalation that followed, noting how the city’s case count grew from a handful to dozens within weeks. The pandemic thrust him into a visible role, balancing public safety guidelines with the economic concerns of residents.
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According to the settlement documents, the Spokane Regional Health District agreed in May to pay Lutz $1.65 million to resolve a wrongful‑termination lawsuit stemming from his dismissal in October 2020. Lutz emphasized that the dispute was about principle, not money, saying, “It was never about the money; it was about the injustice that was done to us.” He added that he believed the settlement demonstrated the district’s acknowledgment of that injustice.
After his termination, he rejoined public health quickly, becoming a COVID‑19 medical adviser for the Washington State Department of Health in December 2020. In that role, he helped craft statewide guidance that eventually filtered back to Spokane’s health agencies.
Nature, youth, and an endowment
Outside of his professional duties, Lutz is an avid nature enthusiast. He and his wife, Amy, have spent weeks exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, an experience he believes offers health benefits that screens cannot replicate. “Young people don’t have that experience anymore,” he says. “They may be seeing it on a screen, but it’s very different when you’re out there in the Arctic Refuge.”
The Lutzes are channeling settlement funds into an endowment that will support outdoor experiences, education, and service for young people. By investing the money from the lawsuit, they aim to expand access to green spaces and nature‑based programs, reflecting research that links such exposure to improved well‑being.
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For families in Spokane and surrounding areas, the endowment could mean more school field trips, community gardening projects, and mentorship programs that bring children into natural settings. This practical focus on expanding access may help bridge the gap between urban life and the benefits of spending time outdoors.
Lutz says he plans to keep “quietly continuing to serve the community,” balancing his health officer duties with street‑medicine work and the development of the endowment. He acknowledges that the settlement allows him to move past the legal battle and concentrate on “doing good with the life that you have and what you’ve been given.”
His career trajectory—from Spokane health officer to state adviser, and now to volunteer planter—illustrates a consistent thread: a focus on population health that incorporates environmental factors. As he tends to shrubs and plants trees, he maintains the same public‑service ethos that guided him through the pandemic’s most challenging days.
