SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The top health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District is no longer on the job in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Spokesman-Review reported Friday that Dr. Bob Lutz was fired or asked to resign by the board of the health district.
At a news conference, district administrator Amelia Clark refused to say if Lutz was fired or if he resigned. No reason was offered for his departure from the job he has held since 2017.
She also said there is not currently a health officer in charge of the district.
Lutz had sometimes butted heads with members of the board who had pushed to loosen pandemic restrictions.
The coronavirus has killed more than 200 Spokane County residents. Dozens more are hospitalized, and almost 10,000 have had the disease.
Lutz has also been advising public school districts regarding how to safely reopen as tens of thousands of students are learning at home. Only kindergarten students are back in school so far in Spokane Public Schools.
In an email to staff, Clark said the executive leadership team is working with Dr. Mary Bergum, the district’s medical director of treatment services, and community partners to lead the district’s ongoing response to the pandemic.
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