Martin Health holds press conference to support SB10
Rob L. Lord, Jr. and Dr Steven Parr spoke in support of Senate Bill 10 at a at Martin Medical Center yesterday. Lord is president and CEO of Martin Health System. Steven Parr, DO, director of emergency medicine at Tradition Medical Center.
Rob Lord grew up on the Treasure Coast. He believes Senate Bill 10 is absolutely necessary to prevent an environmental and public health disaster.
“I’ve witnessed how much our marine ecosystem has changed since I was a young boy,” Lord said. “As the President and CEO of Martin Health System, I am deeply concerned about the health of our community and how these environmental issues impact public health. All due to poor water quality, fish kills, and the increase in infections.”
Effects of the water pollution
Lord referred to the infections and respiratory issues that local residents experienced. This was after coming in contact with the toxic algae last summer.
“Last year’s explosion of cyanobacteria placed our four emergency rooms on heightened awareness as they screened for symptoms associated with exposure to the water,” Lord said. “This was very similar to the way in which we approached recent health concerns related to the spread of Ebola and Zika.”
Steven Parr, DO, said as an ER physician, he has many concerns about the effects of the water pollution in the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River.
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“When the algae was at its worst and we had thick mats of foul-smelling algae in our waterways. Our emergency rooms saw an increase in a range of symptoms that included nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, coughing, shortness of breath, gout, and achy limbs and joints,” Dr. Parr said.
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