REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 23, 2025
FROM
ANDREW GOLDFRACH, ARMC Chief Executive Officer, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Agreement with Opco Transit, Inc. dba Bell Cab, for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 4400024949 with Opco Transit, Inc. dba Bell Cab, for non-emergency medical transportation services, to increase the contract amount by $391,139, from $500,000 to a not-to-exceed amount of $891,139, with no change to the term of January 25, 2022 through January 24, 2027.
(Presenter: Andrew Goldfrach, ARMC Chief Executive Officer, 580-6150)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of $391,139 is funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medi-care, private insurances, and other departmental revenue. Funding sources may change in the future pending any legislative activity related to the repeal and/or replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Approval of the Amendment will allow ARMC to continue to use Opco Transit Inc., dba Bell Cab (Opco) for non-emergency medical transportation services for the ARMC patients to a pre-arranged designation, as directed by ARMC and the patient. The availability of the services will ensure a safe discharge from ARMC and help with continuity of care. The services are utilized by the behavioral health unit, ARMC hospital, and the ARMC family health centers.
Service utilization is based on volume, census, and distance. There are no other transport options available within the area, and the services ensure that ARMC is compliant with SB 1152, which requires hospitals to provide transportation to homeless patients within a maximum travel time of 30 minutes or a maximum travel distance of 30 miles.
On March 28, 2022, as the result of an informal solicitation, the Purchasing Department (Purchasing) approved Contract No. 4400019198 with Network Paratransit Systems, Inc. dba Yellow Cab (Network Paratransit) in the amount not to exceed $100,000 annually for the period of January 25, 2022 through January 24, 2027.
On April 30, 2024, Purchasing approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 4400019198 to assign the Contract from Network Paratransit to Opco.
Approval by the Board of Supervisors (Board) of Amendment No. 2 is necessary, as Purchasing’s authority is limited to $200,000 annually per vendor and service. ARMC previously had another contract with a different vendor for these services, but it was recently terminated. Opco is now the only vendor to provide these services, therefore, the cost for the services from Opco will exceed $200,000 annually for the remaining contract term.
ARMC recommends approval of the Amendment to enable ARMC to continue providing non-emergency medical transportation in compliance with SB 1152 and other patient discharge requirements. Ensuring that patients, particularly homeless or otherwise vulnerable individuals, receive safe transport upon discharge. Providing these services also reduces patient length of stay, supporting efficient use of hospital beds and allowing ARMC to admit additional acute patients.
PROCUREMENT
Purchasing continues to support this competitive procurement based on informal solicitation.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Charles Phan, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 22, 2025; Purchasing (Veronica Pedace, Buyer III, 387-2464) on August 22, 2025; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on August 29, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on September 4, 2025.