After serving more than a year as Harris County Public Health’s interim director, Leah Barton was officially appointed to lead the county’s public health department as of Sept. 2.

Quote of note

“Over the past year, I’ve had the great privilege of leading Harris County Public Health,” Barton said in a Sept. 2 news release. “During that time, we have opened new health hubs, expanded mobile care, strengthened support for families, and responded to public health challenges across our community. These efforts reflect our shared commitment to making health services more accessible, connected, and responsive to the needs of the people we serve.”

Zooming out

Barton was first tapped to serve in the interim role in 2024 after former HCPH Executive Director Barbie Robinson was removed from her position last August.

Robinson’s termination was followed by an investigation by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and alleged outside contractor awards between two vendors who previously worked with the public health department—IBM and DEMA Management and Consulting—according to the district attorney's office. All of Robinson’s charges were dismissed in May by Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, according to a May 2 news release.

Going forward

Barton oversees a public health department staffed with more than 1,100 positions and an adjusted budget of $61 million as of December 2024, according to an internal audit report from March. Under Barton’s direction, HCPH has:

Barton’s appointment comes at a time when multiple Harris County department leaders are weighing options related to 10% service cuts as Harris County commissioners look to address a projected $200 million-plus shortfall in fiscal year 2025-26.

On Aug. 26, Barton spoke about several county programs backed by federal funding, such as the Maternal & Child Health program and the lead testing and abatement program, which could be impacted.

“Those are all programs that we have had in the [American Rescue Plan Act] that we would have been able to continue funding,” Barton said. “Through our efficiencies, we would have been able to bring some of those costs into the general fund so that they could continue, but these cuts make that difficult.”