Texas leader overseeing state psychiatric hospitals resigns in lieu of being fired

The associate commissioner in charge of operations and planning for Texas’ 10 publicly funded psychiatric hospitals resigned to avoid being fired last month, state records show. Tim Bray oversaw state mental hospital operations between September 2016 and this month. During that time, the waitlist for beds grew more than 550 percent, from 354 in September 2016 to 2,309 in March, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. According to a letter attached to Bray’s personnel file obtained by the Chronicle through a records request, he decided to resign “in lieu of termination.”

It’s not clear what prompted the threat of termination from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The agency that oversees the state’s mental hospitals wrote in a statement that it generally does not comment on personnel matters. Bray couldn’t be reached for comment. Performance evaluations included in Bray’s personnel file described him as an effective leader who was involved in the legislative process, developed a culture of “quality and systemic improvement” at state hospitals and assisted in efforts to renovate the state’s psychiatric facilities. The evaluations also praised him for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. But he also was cited in some years for failing to meet deadlines and promote teamwork, as well as being non-responsive to critical items.