The AJC has been digging into Fulton’s widespread mismanagement of grants as the county wastes and mishandles millions of taxpayer dollars. On Monday the AJC reported on problems with a $28 million federal HIV grant. Today, the county health director announced her resignation.
Enduring intense criticism after her agency squandered millions in HIV funding, Fulton County’s health director has resigned from her position, county officials said Thursday.
Dr. Patrice Harris said she needed to devote time to her new role as chair-elect of the American Medical Association, but her departure spurred widespread speculation linking it to the troubled HIV grant.
The announcement that Harris will leave at the end of 2015 comes days after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Fulton’s inept handling of a $28 million federal grant hobbled efforts to expand HIV testing and prevention to thousands of people. The program was so poorly managed that the county was forced to return nearly $9 million because local officials failed to meet spending deadlines.
The county successfully requested some $3.4 million back, county officials said.
Fulton County commissioners were so upset with the bureaucratic foul-ups that they ordered audits of the HIV program and the entire Health Department. The audit on the HIV program is expected to be completed shortly.
Gay rights advocate Jeff Graham, who served on an advisory panel over the HIV program, said it suffered from more problems than can be attributed to one person. But Harris was the “principal authority” who created “the culture that allowed this problem to occur.”
Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said that from the start of the program in 2012, it had been plagued by poor leadership, staffing shortages and delays in engaging the community it was supposed to serve.
County officials were clearly irritated with Harris when they grilled her about the grant problems in June. Chairman John Eaves said the missteps were “inexcusable,” and that they made the county look so bad they might endanger future federal funding.
Eaves did not directly respond when the AJC asked him days ago whether the blunders could cost Harris her job. He stressed that his focus was “correcting issues with the processes at the county department of health.”
On Thursday, Eaves said, “She made her own decision about retiring. There was no pressure on my part or anybody else’s part. She made the decision.”
Harris, who served the county for a decade, submitted her resignation last week, saying in her letter that she has worked years to develop a senior leadership team “that I am certain will serve this county well.”
Harris did not respond to a request for an interview made through a county spokeswoman.
Harris had told the AJC days ago that steps are underway to correct problems with the grant process. Staffing is almost up to speed and efforts are underway to revamp a slow and cumbersome process for soliciting project proposals from community groups.
The grant money came from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Thursday the CDC responded to several questions submitted by the AJC last week. The CDC indicated that it conducted a “comprehensive site visit” with the Fulton health department in late July and will assist the county with the HIV grant.
In announcing Harris’ departure, County Manager Dick Anderson thanked her for staying on during the search for a new health director. He added, “Such concern for the well-being of Fulton County’s citizens has been a hallmark of Dr. Harris’ leadership and a guiding passion throughout her career.”
About the Author
