Former Harris County Public Health Chief Accused of Misusing Official Information – Houston Public Media

On November 19, 2024By Pranco

Barbie Robinson, the former head of Harris County Public Health, is facing a misdemeanor charge and allegations that she misused official information and prematurely disclosed private details of a $16 million contract with the winning company, court documents show.

Robinson is accused in court documents of sharing private information about the multi-million dollar deal to help the company be selected for the award. The charges come just months after she was fired from her position during the process of a separate investigation.

The $16 million contract was awarded to IBM for technology enablement services for ACCESS Harris County, a public health program championed by Robinson that aims to serve vulnerable communities.

Robinson allegedly shared information about the contract with IBM officials nearly a year before county commissioners awarded it to the company, according to emails obtained during an investigation.

She developed a similar public health program while working as an administrator for Sonoma County in California. Jonathon Christian, a Texas Ranger who investigated the communications, alleged that Robinson “had a pre-existing relationship with IBM for ACCESS Sonoma and wanted to replicate the ACCESS program in Harris County.”

According to emails obtained during the investigation, Robinson shared details during conversations about drafting the company’s proposal for the bidding process. Emails include discussions about job descriptions and proposal instructions.

“This should give you a good starting point for creating a job description for Harris County,” an IBM employee said in an email.

IBM was awarded the contract in 2022. The company later received another $16 million contract extension.

“While it appears that Robinson is using her private email to conduct official provincial business that falls outside the scope of public transparency requirements, Affiant believes that this email demonstrates that IBM is assisting in setting up part of the ACCESS program for which it is subsequently intended. submit a competitive offer for later in the same month,” Christian wrote.

Court documents point to an investigation and other emails published by the Houston Chronicle about the department’s contract with Disaster Emergency Medical Assistance Consulting and Management, a provider for Sonoma County Department of Health Services under Robinson.

District Attorney Kim Ogg will discuss Robinson’s charges at a news conference Tuesday.

In a post on to send a preferred supplier.

“Kim Ogg’s attack on Barbie Robinson is the same thing my former staff members were falsely accused of by her,” Hidalgo said. “Three years later, there is no evidence of that because, as we said, they did absolutely nothing wrong and her accusations are full of untruths.”

A warrant was issued for Robinson’s arrest.

This is a development story.