Barbie Robinson has been fired as head of the Harris County Health Department.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The head of the Harris County Health Department, Barbie Robinsonwas fired due to a potential conflict of interest involving a now-defunct consulting firm that won contracts for district medical Houston Chronicle report.
Robinson was named executive director of the county’s health department in 2021.
The company that won those contracts, Dema Consulting and Management, went out of business earlier this year after an investigation by California officials.
It turns out that Dema got her start in Sonoma County, California, the same county where Robinson served as director of health services for five years.
AND Houston Chronicle report brought to light questions about the relationship between Robinson and Dema, which won contracts to operate the county’s two COVID testing and vaccination sites months after Robinson was appointed.
Then Dema was selected for a multi-million dollar contract for a new non-violent 911 program.
The Chronicle reported that emails between Robinson and the company may have represented a conflict of interest.
Robinson denied wrongdoing in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.
On Friday, Harris County Administrator Diana Ramirez confirmed that Robinson had been fired, but offered no further insight into the reason for the move.
“Today I made the difficult decision to remove Barbie Robinson from her role as executive director of Harris County Public Health,” Ramirez said.
She said Deputy County Administrator Leah Barton will serve as interim executive director of Harris County Public Health.
Ramirez said he will immediately begin a statewide search to find a permanent replacement for the position vacated by Robinson.