HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Emails uncovered by ABC13’s news partners at the Houston Chronicle raise questions about a $6 million contract between a California company and Harris County.
At the center of the allegations is the executive director of the Harris County Health Department, Barbie Robinson.
These emails raise questions about whether there was a conflict of interest between Robinson and the for-profit California company when they sought to do business in Harris County.
Robinson came to Houston in 2020 from Sonoma County, California, the same county where DEMA Consulting & Management began its activities.
Shortly after Robinson’s move, DEMA was selected to operate two vaccination sites in Pasadena and Aldine.
By the end of the year, the company beat the Harris Center, a state mental health services agency, by a fraction of a point in implementing a new 911 program.
SEE ALSO: Harris County initiates plan to maintain non-violent 911 response program
The Chronicle also reported that DEMA apparently believed they had been selected for the 911 diversion project even before the contract was signed.
The timing of the contract signing and Robinson’s ties to California raised concerns. The Chronicle obtained emails suggesting that a DEMA employee knew in advance that they would get a contract.
Reporter Dylan McGuinness led the Chronicle’s investigation.
“That’s what people found disturbing or strange during the process. Before they even went through the process, they had the impression that they had already won. Director Robinson said that this email came as a shock to her. She did not know why they had been so confident. She did not tell them in advance that they would win. She could not explain why they thought otherwise,” McGuinness said.
According to the Chronicle, Robinson denies any wrongdoing.
According to The Chronicle, some county commissioners are currently exploring other options to continue the 911 diversion program, which aims to divert non-urgent, non-life-threatening calls related to mental health crises.
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