Dr. Anthony Robbins, Who Expanded Health Care for the Poor, Dies at 85, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/health/anthony-robbins-dead.html)

The report covers the life and legacy of Dr. Anthony “Tony” William Robbins, a prominent American physician and public health pioneer who passed away at age 85 at his home in Rockport, Massachusetts.Over a career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Robbins was known as an outspoken advocate for vulnerable populations, workplace safety, and preventive medicine.Key Highlights of His Life and Career

• Early State Leadership and Innovations: In 1973, at age 32, Dr. Robbins became Vermont’s Commissioner of Healththe youngest state health commissioner in the United States. During his tenure, he launched the nation’s first Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), arranging for local milkmen to deliver supplemental food to families’ doorsteps to avoid public stigma. He also created the first state-run children’s dental insurance program, known locally as the “Tooth Fairy Program.”
• Environmental and Workplace Safety: As head of Colorado’s Department of Health in the mid-1970s, he instituted office smoking bans decades before they became standard practice and successfully pressured the federal government over environmental hazards and leaks at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
• Federal Leadership: In 1978, he was appointed director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). He later served as senior health staff for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he played a key role in defending Medicaid and community health funding against deep budget cuts, negotiating the rotating warning labels placed on cigarette packages, and drafting legislation to establish the National Vaccine Program.
• National and Global Health Advocacy: Dr. Robbins was elected president of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in 1981. During the Clinton administration, he directed the National Vaccine Program and published the first comprehensive National Vaccine Plan. He also collaborated internationally with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and philanthropic foundations to expand vaccine access in developing countries.
• Academic Career: Later in life, he chaired the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, served as editor of the federal journal Public Health Reports, and co-edited the Journal of Public Health Policy alongside his wife, Phyllis Freeman.

Throughout his career, Dr. Robbins was recognized for blending rigorous science with bold political action to expand healthcare access, improve maternal and child health, and protect workers and underserved communities.