diff --git a/mobile/android/base/background/healthreport/EnvironmentBuilder.java b/mobile/android/base/background/healthreport/EnvironmentBuilder.java
index 080d8b34383..9d223d54af2 100644
--- a/mobile/android/base/background/healthreport/EnvironmentBuilder.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/background/healthreport/EnvironmentBuilder.java
@@ -27,9 +27,22 @@ public class EnvironmentBuilder {
     return cr.acquireContentProviderClient(HealthReportConstants.HEALTH_AUTHORITY);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Fetch the storage object associated with the provided
+   * {@link ContentProviderClient}. If no storage instance can be found --
+   * perhaps because the {@link ContentProvider} is running in a different
+   * process -- returns <code>null</code>.
+   * 
+   * If the provider is not a {@link HealthReportProvider}, throws a
+   * {@link ClassCastException}, because that would be disastrous.
+   */
   public static HealthReportDatabaseStorage getStorage(ContentProviderClient cpc,
                                                        String profilePath) {
     ContentProvider pr = cpc.getLocalContentProvider();
+    if (pr == null) {
+      Logger.error(LOG_TAG, "Unable to retrieve local content provider. Running in a different process?");
+      return null;
+    }
     try {
       return ((HealthReportProvider) pr).getProfileStorage(profilePath);
     } catch (ClassCastException ex) {