Dr. Augusto "Gus" Ortiz, who was devoted to bringing health care to poor, rural Arizonans and who was called a hero by his colleagues, died Saturday surrounded by family at his Tucson home. He was 89.
Ortiz had been in ailing health for several years, said Martha Ortiz, his wife of 62 years. He had had a number of small strokes and succumbed to Parkinson's disease, she said.
"He was just a very loving and thoughtful person," said Martha Ortiz, 82. "We really had a wonderful life together, and I feel his spirit is still with us."
Ortiz was admired by colleagues and Arizona residents for spearheading a mobile health clinic in which he served the poor and underserved in rural communities.
He was honored with several awards, including the U.S. Surgeon General's Medallion in July and the Greater Tucson Leader Award in 2002, which also was awarded to Martha.
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The Ortiz Community Health Center in Picture Rocks is named after the couple.
"His whole life was to serve the underserved population," said Richard Carmona, the former U.S. surgeon general who presented the medallion to Ortiz. "I wish I could have given him more because he gave us his life."
For about half a century, the Ortizes helped migrant farm workers and the poor, believing that everyone should have access to health care.
"He led the way in rural health," Carmona said. "He laid the foundation for what we have today. He'll always be one of my heroes."
Ortiz was born in Puerto Rico and came to the United States in 1941 to go to medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Martha Ortiz said.
He started a practice for farmworkers in Phoenix, where he treated César Chávez after Chávez founded United Farm Workers of America.
In 1972, Ortiz joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine and shortly after started the mobile clinic.
Ortiz respected and used integrative medicine, which allowed for several different approaches to heal a person, said Susan Woodruff, a nurse practitioner and now director of the UA Rural Health Office's Mobile Health Program.
Woodruff worked alongside Ortiz for several years and describes him as her mentor.
"He was a very honorable man and beloved by all of us," she said. "We carry his philosophy, and he framed this whole approach to health care."
Aside from his career, Ortiz was a committed father and husband who spent his free time playing with his children, Martha Ortiz said.
"He's always been very generous and loving and kind," she said.
Ortiz is survived by Martha, his four children and six grandchildren.
Only the immediate family will attend Ortiz's funeral, Martha Ortiz said. A public celebration of his life is planned for sometime next month.
"His whole life was to serve the underserved population. I wish I could have given him more because he gave us his life."
Richard Carmona
Former U.S. surgeon general
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