HARRIS COUNTY, TX (Covering Katy News) - Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says she will return to work on October 2, about a month later than she initially told the public.
Since July, she has been on leave at an unnamed out-of-state mental health treatment facility.
"Based on the advice of her medical care team, she will be discharged the morning of Saturday, September 16, 2023, to transition from residential care to outpatient care," a press release from her office said.
The announcement comes after her former Republican opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer, called this week for her to either return or resign as significant decisions about county business are being made while the county's chief executive has been absent for weeks.
On Wednesday, the county judge's office criticized Mealer for her comments but refused to provide details on Hidalgo's mental health status or plans for return.
First elected in 2018, Hidalgo defeated Mealer in 2022 with less than 51 percent of the vote. Mealer is contesting the election, and her case is still pending in state district court.
Hidalgo's trip to an out-of-state healthcare facility comes as legal investigations of her office swirl. Three of her staffers were indicted on charges of misusing official information and tampering in connection with bid-rigging allegations. Alex Triantaphyllis, Wallis Nader, and Aaron Dunn face the same charges, and all three have since left Hidalgo's office.
Hidalgo has previously predicted that she, too, would be indicted in a case where an $11 million contract was awarded to a tiny political consulting firm owned by Felicity Pereyra, who has previously worked on Democratic campaigns.
Below is a letter from Judge Hidalgo:
Dear People of Harris County:
Thank you to my colleagues, family, and the Harris County community for the outpouring of support that I received after I announced I was seeking inpatient mental health treatment for depression. I have been deeply touched by all the messages that I have received, not only from Harris County residents but from across the country. So many people wrote to me to share their own struggles with mental health and their support for my decision to be public about my journey. I am encouraged that so many in our community agree that treatment for mental illness should be normalized just as seeking treatment any illness is accepted and expected.
After my time in a fantastic inpatient facility, I am feeling a lot better. I am looking forward to being discharged this Saturday, September 16, 2023, starting outpatient care, and re-acclimatizing to life outside a mental health facility. My initial treatment plan had me returning to my regular schedule in September, but my discharge date was moved back, which moves back the re-acclimatization period. The way my doctors explained re-acclimatization to me is that you would not go from heart surgery straight to running a marathon, in the same way that they do not want me to go straight back to my usual schedule.
I am feeling great and looking forward to returning on Monday, October 2, 2023. Thanks to the incredible medical team that has cared for me over the past several weeks, I feel so much stronger than I have ever been.
I continue to maintain lines of communication with my staff and the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management remains fully prepared to respond to any potential incident, as well as request my presence if necessary.
I am grateful for your continued support. I look forward to sharing more about my experience, and most of all, I am eager to return to the community and the job that I love.
Sincerely,
Lina Hidalgo
Harris County Judge