REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 25, 2025
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Colorado River Medical Center for provision of healthcare services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve contract with Colorado River Medical Center for the provision of healthcare services in the Needles Community and Havasu Landing area, in the amount not to exceed $690,000 ($230,000 per year), for a three-year period of March 26, 2025 through March 25, 2028.
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute non-substantive amendments, including updates to the scope of work, on behalf of the County, as needed, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit all non-substantive amendments to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost for health care services will not exceed $230,000 per year for a total contract amount of $690,000 for the period of March 26, 2025 through March 25, 2028. Funding is supported by fee-for-services Medi-Cal and 1991 Realignment funding. The Department of Public Health (DPH) will pay a flat contractual fee to Colorado River Medical Center (Colorado River) and bill Medi-Cal for services rendered. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2024-25 recommended budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Approval of this Contract will allow DPH to further expand its clinical outreach efforts by providing mobile health care services in the Needles community and Havasu Landing area in the amount of $230,000 per year. Under the terms of the contract, Colorado River will provide a part-time physician, nurse, office assistant, and mobile clinic driver two days a week to provide medical services to the Needles and surrounding area. Services include health screenings and physicals, various tests for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, etc., limited vaccinations (flu and COVID), and basic urgent care services. Patients requiring more complex services or follow-up to identified conditions will be referred to the DPH Needles Clinic and/or Colorado River for support. The mobile clinic will serve patients who are Medi-Cal eligible or who are uninsured and are applying for the Medi-Cal program.
DPH will conduct outreach to the community and schedule appointments for interested patients. Walk-in patients may be seen as schedules allow. Appointment schedules will be provided to the Colorado River team, who will see patients and utilize DPH’s electronic health record to capture visit information, including services provided. Currently, DPH has secured a single site to launch the program in the city of Needles, but is actively working to expand access to other areas and events in the surrounding community, including Havasu Landing.
On June 25, 2024 (Item No. 78), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the purchase of three medical mobile clinics to provide healthcare services to San Bernardino County residents living in outlying and hard to reach areas of the county.
Approval of the recommended contract will allow DPH to expand services to residents who often have a barrier to care due to limited healthcare access because of the outlying nature of their community.
PROCUREMENT
This non-competitive procurement has been approved by the Purchasing Department, due to the specialized credentials of Colorado River and the lack of alternative options due to the rural location of the Needles community and surrounding area.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 4, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on March 4, 2025; Finance (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on March 6, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on March 6, 2025.