*** Memorial Service for Dr. Stephen Levin ***
AMKor...@aol.com
(Letter from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health *)
Dear Friends,
It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of Dr. Stephen Levin.
Steve was first and foremost an advocate for health of workers in the broadest sense He devoted his life and extraordinary talents not only to ensuring that workers who contracted occupational diseases got the best possible treatment, but to preventing workers from being exposed to the conditions that caused the illnesses. He saw the fight for higher wages, better working conditions shorter hours, education, transportation and housing as part of the struggle for the health of the working class as a whole
He understood that the health of working people was directly tied to the health of the labor movement - that being organized into union or any other formation - was the first and most important step workers could take to protect their safety and health.
In 1987, Steve became medical director of the Irving J. Selikoff Occupational and Environmental Medical Center. Working with Dr. Robin Herbert, the Occupational Health and Environmental Medical Center became a nationally recognized center for occupational medicine. Through their efforts, the Clinic became known as a worker/union friendly clinic in which doctors were seen as advocates - working with unions and COSH groups providing scientific and medical support for public policies which protected and advanced workers rights.
After 9/11 Steve mobilized the Clinic to address the needs of emergency responders and clean-up workers whose health was adversely affected by the contaminants which blanketed lower Manhattan. Through the work of the Clinic, under the direction of Steve and Robin, the problems workers faced as a result of exposure were documented and their work provided the scientific and medical justification for the passage of the Zadroga Act, which established a compensation fund for World Trade rescue, recovery and clean up workers, volunteers and area residents.
As a protégé of Doctor Irving Selikoff, Steve was one of the nation's leading experts on asbestos disease. In
the last years of his life, he devoted considerable time and effort to working on providing medical care for the workers and residents of Libby, Montana who were callously and unwittingly exposed to asbestos by W.R.Grace Corporation.
Steve was an early and active member of NYCOSH, serving for many years in the early 1980s on our health technical committee. He participated in and spoke at numerous NYCOSH conferences on Workers' Compensation and occupational diseases. He was a passionate speaker and teacher helping us understand the societal costs of occupational disease. He was an advocate for the prevention of occupational disease and the public's health.
We were honored to have known Steve; to have been able to call him a friend. We will miss his impact in the fight for safer workplaces, but will also miss his counsel, his wonderful sense of humor, his ability to work with people from different backgrounds -- hospital administrators, union officials, rank and file workers and community residents -- to build .
His passing is a painful loss. He will be greatly missed. We express our condolences to his family.
A memorial service will take place Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Stern Auditorium, 1468 Madison Avenue @ East 100th Street, New York, NY 10029.
Joel Shufro Bill Henning
Executive Director NYCOSH Board Chair
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(*) The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health is a leading independent voice for workplace safety and health, advocating for strong laws and regulations while providing resources and training to workers, unions, government agencies and community organizations. Contact us at 212-227-6440 or nyc...@nycosh.org.