Maybe more of the area's movers and shakers should get to knowMargaret Beed, San Bernardino County's new health officer.
It might improve their outlook and make them think a little morepositively.
'San Bernardino is a great community,' Beed says.
And working with people in the community is her favorite thing,she says.
She even likes working with the media.
As health officer, Beed's duties are to assess and protectoverall health in the county, enforce health laws and plan anddirect public health programs.
In time of emergency, disaster or terrorist attack that threatenspublic health, she would assume a leadership role in response. Shereports to Interim Public Health Director Jim Lindley.
Beed has been working in the health field for 30 years and herlast job was chief medical officer in Orange County, but it's not asthough she's unfamiliar with this county. Beed and her husband,Gene, are pediatricians and once maintained a practice in AppleValley.
A native of Connecticut, Beed graduated from the University ofIllinois Medical School and served the first two years of herresidency at Milwaukee Children's Hospital in Wisconsin and thefinal year at Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno.
In response to a question about the perils to children fromimported toys, she said most of what they see is lead in the paint.Beed said that the most recent examples are from China, 'but certainproducts from Mexico have been an issue.'
But typically it's the old lead paint in homes that cause aproblem. It flakes off and can be ingested, making it hazardous tovery young children and the unborn fetuses of pregnant women.
Beed said the children of the county need to get screened, and iflead shows up in the blood, investigators are sent out to determinethe source.
The Beeds have three children. Daughter Mallory is a junior at UCSan Diego, daughter Courtney is in her first-year of dental schoolat New York University and son Alex is a high school freshman inIrvine.
Beed's favorite thing when she is not working is travel. 'We havean RV, and we like to go to Montana and stay near Glacier NationalPark,' she said.
A regular traveling companion is Quillo, their 95-pound Germanshepherd.
