HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The head of the Harris County Health Department, Barbie Robinson, was fired amid a possible conflict of interest involving a now-defunct consulting company that was awarded county medical contracts, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle.
Robinson was appointed as executive director of the county's health department in 2021.
The company that was awarded those contracts, Dema Consulting and Management, folded earlier this year after an investigation by California officials.
It turns out that Dema started operating in Sonoma County, California, the same county where Robinson served as the director of health services for five years.
A report by the Houston Chronicle brought to light the questions about the relationship between Robinson and Dema, which was awarded contracts to operate two county COVID testing and vaccination sites months after Robinson was appointed.
Then, Dema was chosen for a multi-million dollar contract for a new program for responding to non-violent 911 calls.
The Chronicle reported that emails between Robinson and the company may have presented a conflict of interest.
Robinson denied wrongdoing in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.
On Friday, Harris County Administrator Diana Ramirez confirmed that Robinson was dismissed but didn't offer any more insight into the reason behind the move.
"Today, I made the difficult decision to dismiss Barbie Robinson from her role as Executive Director of Harris County Public Health," Ramirez said.
She said Deputy County Administrator Leah Barton would serve as the interim executive director of Harris County Public Health.
Ramirez said a national search would begin immediately to find a permanent replacement for the seat vacated by Robinson.