Harris County public health director 'relieved of duty', according to reports

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - According to sources, Harris County Public Health Executive Director Barbie Robinson has been relieved of duty. She was appointed to the position in May 2021.

According to FOX 26's Greg Groogan, Robinson has recently faced heavy questioned about the administration of the DEMA non-emergency program and may have been doing private consulting for a third-party entity while on the Harris County payroll.

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Robinson was previously in Sonoma County as Director of Department of Health Services (DHS) for five years.

Harris County Administrator, Diana Ramirez released this statement:

Today, I made the difficult decision to dismiss Barbie Robinson from her role as Executive Director of Harris County Public Health.

We remain committed to the health and well-being of our community. To ensure continuity of leadership, Deputy County Administrator Leah Barton will step in as Interim Executive Director of Harris County Public Health. We are launching a national search immediately to find a new Executive Director who will continue to drive our mission forward. 

Our focus remains on serving the people of Harris County in alignment with our Countywide goals and guiding principles . I appreciate the hard work of our Harris County Public Health team and their continued commitment during this transition."

This is a breaking news story.