New Health Chief to Focus on Terrorism

Outbreaks like measles and rabies are standard worries for a public health officer, but as Dr. Robert M. Levin began his first day as Ventura County’s top doctor, he was planning ways to combat a new and more dangerous health threat: terrorism.

“I’m afraid atomic, biological and chemical terrorism is now an issue we have to prepare ourselves for,” Levin said. “There are health and disease problems that would result with any of these attacks, and the public needs to know about the danger.”

Citing such examples as the chemical attacks in Japan and the Oregon salad bars purposefully contaminated with salmonella, Levin said it is important that health and law enforcement officials plan together on how to handle such incidents.

“These things are happening all the time, and we need to better coordinate our emergency services from the police to the hospital,” Levin said. “We have to bring ourselves to a new level of awareness without being paranoid. That will be one of the things I plan to do.”

Protecting the Public

Levin, 49, comes to Ventura County from Chicago, where he was the chairman of the pediatrics department at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

As the county’s health officer, he will be responsible for enforcing local and state health regulations along with protecting the public from infectious diseases. Levin, who will earn $156,000 a year in his new job, will oversee 12 employees.

Paul Lorenz, director of the county’s public health department, said Levin--who has extensively researched HIV in children--was selected because of his knowledge of infectious diseases.

“More than anything, we were impressed with his ability to communicate and take the lead in presenting health policy issues,” Lorenz said.

Levin said his experience heading the pediatrics department at Mount Sinai has prepared him for his new role in Ventura.

“I learned how to be an administrator and deal with problems on a global basis,” Levin said. “As a department chair, you have to respond not just to individual patient problems but patterns. And when you see those patterns, you must find ways to prevent them.”

Beyond implementing a terrorist health attack plan, Levin said he will also focus on traditional health issues. In Ventura County, that will mean moving on two fronts.

“This is a challenging county,” Levin said. “It is a place with both big-city and agricultural-based health problems.”

On the urban side, Levin said Ventura County has its share of HIV, tuberculosis, teen pregnancy and gang issues. While in rural areas, there is everything from pesticides to rabies.

“There is a broad spectrum here,” he said.

Ventura is not foreign to the Illinois-born doctor. His wife has family in Santa Barbara, and the couple and their three children normally spend several weeks a year in Southern California.

Family Matters

Family was the main factor in Levin’s decision to leave his post at Mount Sinai and become Ventura County’s public health chief.

“I wanted to continue to live with my wife and children,” Levin said. “My wife wanted to be closer to her family, and she prevailed upon me to find work out here.”

Levin’s wife, Lisa A. Solinas, is also a doctor. They have two sons, 16 and 14, and a daughter, 11. The oldest boy, Max, stayed behind in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park to finish his senior year of high school. He will be living with friends, Levin said.

In his role as public health officer, Levin said he plans to do community outreach and education where he sees fit but does not want to become a local celebrity.

“I don’t see me being a personality advancing public health,” Levin said. “I’m going to be really busy addressing the needs of the county.”

Levin also said he is going to take it slow in the first few months in order to gauge public receptiveness to his health ideas.

“I would be doing a disservice to Ventura County if I tried to come in here and impose my agenda on the first day,” Levin said. “I need to get a feel for the county, and I’m looking forward to tackling the challenges of this job.”