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Meet New Hampshire's swine flu front man
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By DAN TUOHY
New Hampshire Union Leader
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009
WHETHER IT'S SWINE FLU, a mosquito-borne virus, recalls of tainted food, or any number of public health threats, news outlets turn to the doctor with the Colombian accent to explain the risk, or lack thereof.
Dr. Jose T. Montero, director of New Hampshire's Public Health Services, always appears calm and collected as he appears everywhere these days.
"Too much," he jokes during an interview in his office.
Montero is the face -- and the distinctive voice -- of the state health response to the swine flu, first detected here in the spring.
In his 10 years at New Hampshire Health and Human Services, Montero's other hats have included state epidemiologist.
Avian flu. SARS. Norwalk virus. Eastern equine encephalitis. Hepatitis. Meningitis. Whooping cough. Pick a disease or threat; Montero and staff have either encountered it, responded to it or planned for it.
Montero's team and his "can-do attitude" made New Hampshire the first state to stage an avian flu response exercise about five years ago, said John Stephen, former commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Stephen describes Montero as a calm and tireless professional. "I feel much safer after working with him," he said.
Public education
With swine flu -- where people are advised to regularly wash hands and cover their noses and mouths when sneezing -- public health is interlocked with public education. Prevention is key.
Dr. Jose Montero, New Hampshire's director of Public Health Services, on the phone in his office at the state Department of Health and Human Services (BOB LAPREE)
Montero encourages residents, organizations and businesses to plan accordingly and to keep informed.
"Most of the time we as human beings and as a society put aside things we don't want to hear until we really need them," he said. "We don't want to hear about those big tragedies. The problem is that when the event hits, then it's too late to start looking at those things. It happens with pandemics."
Swine flu response is going well, according to Montero. New Hampshire knows of only one fatality related to the swine flu, a 22-year-old woman who died in August. The flu is in its early stages, and Montero said cases are likely to increase, even with the first shipments of vaccine received in state earlier this month.
"As you know, no pandemics are created equal," he said. "The spread of the pandemic, the severity of the pandemic, is not the same all over the country."
Manchester Public Health Director Timothy Soucy maintains an open channel with Montero on swine flu, as with any number of health issues.
"The beauty of New Hampshire is I can pick up the phone and reach him right away," Soucy said. When either one calls the other after hours, Soucy said, they often jokingly ask, "OK, what's the matter now?"
Soucy calls Montero a real gentleman, a tireless public official who is gracious with his time and expertise. "The guy is always juggling 20 different items at the same time," he said.
►While state awaits more vaccine, 2-1-1 answers H1N1 questions (7)
►NH Dept. of Health and Human Services H1N1 flu Web site.
►Centers for Disease Control's H1N1 Web site.
Attention to detail
Montero's attention to detail and his ability to look at the big picture were cultivated as a young community doctor in his homeland.
One of six boys born to an accountant father in his native Colombia, Montero embarked on his medical studies with the idea he would one day become a neurosurgeon.
Or maybe a specialist in plastic surgery.
Dr. Jose Montero briefs the State Police command staff on the expected impact and immunization protocol for swine flu at State Police headquarters in Concord yesterday morning. (BOB LAPREE)
After medical school in Bogota, a capital city of an estimated 8 million people, he was required to perform a year of physician duty in an under-served part of his country.
"That experience kind of changed my outlook about medicine and what I was doing," he said.
He was inspired by the day-to-day interaction with patients and fulfilling the needs of the rural area. "If you do things not just for one patient but for one community, you have a wider impact," he said.
Montero turned to family medicine and focused on preventive medicine and epidemiology. He worked at the Ministry of Health in Colombia before taking an international health fellowship at the University of Texas. He then studied preventive medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Before coming to New Hampshire, he worked in behavioral health in New York. Montero lives in Concord where he and his wife, a psychologist, are raising their two teen-age girls.
"I love lakes," he said. "I love New Hampshire's outdoors. I don't go as frequently as I would like to."
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YOUR COMMENTS
This swine flu nonsense is giving me deja vu to the late 70s, when more people were killed by the effects of the "flu vaccine" than died from the flu itself - one person died, that was it. I am sick and tired of this hysteria.
- Tim, Manchester
And all of the State Police command staff needed to be briefed...for what reason? Looks like a lot of folks makign 75K+ just sittign around....tax dollars hard at work. I can think he would be best served going to the medical facilites and leave the cops alone with there coffee and donuts to just hang out. Some Lt.'s in State Police making $75K won't even answer a telephone call:FACT - very sad. But then again the Govenor gets a driver so he thinks they are great....Like he even has a clue what is going on with State Police or what is ahppening in the Prisons on a daily basis. The Commissions just tell what he wants to hear.
- Bob, Concord
I'm sure it will be only a matter of time before some power hungry "progressive" thug in our state government pushes the state legislature to adopt an unconstitutional, Orwellian style MA H1N1 legislation.
- Mac Wade, Newmarket
More scare tactics from an empty Presidential Administration and Federal Government with nothing better to do than invent another crisis to eventually usurp more power. If the Bush Administration tried this, the so-called "news" media would be howling about overtones of martial law. A genuine socialist does it and poof...free pass.
Tomorrow we'll get to read all about how Obama usurped more rights of certain groups of people by signing the incorrectly titled "hate crimes" bill into law. This guy is unreal....equal rights for all* (so long as you agree with our point of view and meet certain criteria). Pathetic. I wonder what will be left of the Republic in 2012 when we can finally rid Washington of this cancer.
- Mike, Temple
While everyone is a skeptic of H1N1 it needs to be addressed. Having young children in public schools it is a serious concern. Today we called the school after our daughter told us that 8 children and the teacher were out with the flu. When we inquired as to how many students were absent we were told approximately 200. That is not a typical number for a school of this size and it should be something that is being reviewed by the state and the CDC.
- James, Goffstown
I agree with others-he is a true professional and those that have seen him work understand his dedication. To Mark in Hooksett, it is amazing how quick someone will call someone a "hack" without knowing them. Hmmm, I wonder why that is so in this case? Hmmm......
- Sal, Manchester
The White House better know as The Trojan Horse, needed a distraction away from tv's so we can't see them giving our Freedom and Libertie's away. Put us in long line's in crowds and smack dab in the middle of every virus that is around. I bet the Cough Czars are really raking in the dough.
- Linda, Derry
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm
Here is a website from the CDC about the common influenza... hmmm lots of deaths during flu season prior to H1N1.
This strain is just a little easier to contract and stays a little longer. People are recovering!
- WB, Manchester
@John. Why do you assume he's not licensed to practice in NH?
- Lorraine, Concord
I heard this guy on the radio and it he sounds like some cracker jack hack, can't we get a legit Director of Public Health? After listening to him I wouldn't let him give advice on how to care for a pet never mind the population of a state!
- mark, hooksett
I would be curious to know how many people a year die from: DWI, the common cold, diabetes, motorcycle accidents, obesity, etc. Seems no one is going nuts over those statistics. People have died from the flu for over 200 years now...what's the sudden big deal about it? I think it's a scam.....someone is making lots of money.
- tracy, manchester
It's the flu. People will die from it every year, most will survive.
Deb, global warming had to have a name change because all the climate "models" are not panning out as the doom and gloom crowd had hoped.
I'd rather go through life not losing sleep over things totally out of our control. The flu bug and trying to change the weather are 2 of those things.
- John, Dover
Swine flu?!? This is ridiculous. All hype pushed by the World Hysteria Organization...
- Phil, Northfield, NH
I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Montero closely, and New Hampshire could not ask for a more dedicated, focused and competent person leading the way to protect our public health. Jose is a true professional in every sense of the word and we are lucky to have him watching out for us.
- Greg Moore, Manchester
Just call 211.
Call me a skeptic of swine flu panic. After the ozone depletion will kill us all scare stopped being popular and disappeared, then global warming was changed to climate change to cover every type of weather we normally get, I’m under the impression that half of anything that comes out of the mouths of our leadership is for the sake of manipulation only. Thousands of people die every year from the flu strains that have always been with us and I’m sure the same will hold true for swine flu. Sorry but my skepticism of our leaders advice and claims have been earned and if it's at my own peril I know who to thank.
- Deb, Derry
And while all of this may seem impressive, who is this guy really and why is he not licensed to actually practice medicine in NH?
- John, Manchetser
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