October 1992 Federico Cruz-Uribe hired as director of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, after holding similar positions in Florida and Colorado.
1993 In his first year on the job, he reorganizes the agency, eliminates 59 jobs, cuts administrative costs and places more emphasis on services. The department becomes more of a social-service agency, with fewer immunization programs and more programs devoted to preventing domestic violence and school truancy. His fashion choices a goatee, short-sleeved shirts and chipped eyeglasses eventually earn him a certificate from his staff for promoting the public health officer grunge look.
1996 Cruz-Uribe backs a Health Department proposal to ban cigarette advertising on billboards and at storefronts and gas stations. He also announces the closure of six low-income clinics that provide services such as family planning, immunization and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. He argues that private health care providers should provide such treatment, and the Health Department should be in the business of population-based prevention.
1998 Cruz-Uribe proposes requiring local doctors to report the names of patients infected with HIV, reasoning that the patients would receive treatment more swiftly, and their potential partners would know the risks. The plan draws fire from AIDS activists, who call it discriminatory and say the measure will force HIV-positive people to go elsewhere for testing in order to preserve their anonymity.
1998 Federal courts uphold the ban on outdoor advertising for tobacco. An appeal follows, and the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health, wary of continuing legal fees, decides to drop the crusade.
2001 Cruz-Uribe proposes mandatory AIDS testing for pregnant women, people diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases and jail inmates. The plan is widely criticized. The proposal eventually simmers down to a regulation requiring doctors to offer tests to more people.
2002 At Cruz-Uribes urging, the Health Board votes for fluoridation of most county water systems. Opponents vow to fight in court. The state Supreme Court overturns the vote two years later, but cities and local governments agree to look at options for fluoridation.
2003 Cruz-Uribe announces his campaign for governor, running as a Republican. He later withdraws from the race.
2003 Following Cruz-Uribes lead, the Health Board votes to ban smoking in most indoor public places. The state Supreme Court overturns the ban, but in 2005 Washington voters pass a statewide initiative modeled on Pierce Countys ordinance that enacts an indoor smoking ban.
Source: News Tribune archives
Sean Robinson 253-597-8486
sean.robinson@thenewstribune.com
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