HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Friday will mark one month since Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo returned to work after taking a leave of absence to seek mental health treatment.

Tuesday afternoon, she spoke with reporters about a host of issues, including the status of her health. 

“I’m doing great, I really am,” said Hidalgo. “They told me I was good to go. I was initially supposed to be at the mental health facility for five weeks, then the care team extended it to seven weeks. By the time I got discharged, the sense was ‘I’m good now. I felt a lot better.’”

But Hidalgo admits, returning to work brought with it its own concerns. 

“In the back of my head, I was a little bit worried. You know what if it comes back? How will I know if I’m actually better? Now a month into the job, six weeks after discharge, I really feel great,” she said.

Improving her mental health and focusing on getting better remain Hidalgo’s top priorities as she now sees her job differently. 

“I’m enjoying things more than I did before,” she said. “It’s really seeing things from a different perspective.”

Work-related issues that have been top of mind for Hidalgo, as of late, are problems at the Harris County Jail. This comes after an inmate died last week awaiting trial. That makes the 15th jail death this year. 

“I want this to be discussed in every court meeting,” said Hidalgo. “Because in my mind it’s an emergency.”

County officials are also in the middle of running an important election. Houston’s next mayor is on the ballot. It’s a race Hidalgo and county leaders are closely watching. 

“There’s a new kid in school that is going to come in and I’m going to have to make friends with them, so whoever wins I’ll work with, but of course, I have a preferred candidate,” said Hidalgo. 

The judge encouraged all voters to get out and exercise their right to vote and to take advantage of the county’s early voting options this week.

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