REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
July 14, 2020
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title v
Grant Application for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant SFY 2020-21
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the submission of the grant application to the California Department of Health Care Services, Community Services Division, in the amount of $10,611,382, for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant for the provision of prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, for the period of October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
(Presenter: Veronica Kelley, Director, 388-0801)
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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The proposed allocation amount of $10,611,382 is administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (State) and funded through the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG). The SABG application does not require a match.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The grant application to the State for SABG funding will allow the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to be reimbursed by SABG for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services provided to eligible clients for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. The grant application must be submitted to the State no later than July 31, 2020.
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and SUD services to San Bernardino County residents who are experiencing major mental illness and/or substance use disorders. An integral part of the service delivery system consists of SUD services that include prevention, treatment, wellness and recovery. DBH has provided SUD services through an intergovernmental agreement with DHCS since 1994. In 2018-19, the DBH SUD comprehensive continuum of treatment programs provided 6,552 unduplicated clients SUD treatment. Of the clients treated, 23% had a co-occurring disorder and received concurrent mental health treatment. A total of 10,840 treatment episodes were provided which consisted of 634,889 service components at over 3.2 million service hours.
SABG funds are utilized for the purpose of planning, carrying out and evaluating SABG authorized activities to prevent and treat substance use disorders in San Bernardino County. In addition to providing countywide SUD treatment programs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration requires that no less than 25% of SABG funds be spent on substance use primary prevention strategies.
Prevention strategies are aimed at advocating for change in community standards and attitudes that shape individuals’ behaviors by focusing on assisting individuals in developing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to change their behavior regarding alcohol and/or drug use. DBH’s goal for prevention services is to prevent or reduce substance use and other behavioral health conditions among diverse youth, young adults, and other sub-groups at risk for developing substance use disorders.
On April 8, 2020, the State released Letter No. 20-01 notifying DBH of the release of the State Fiscal Year 2020-21 Planning Estimate and Application Instructions for SABG. DBH will return to the Board of Supervisors to accept the grant award following the receipt of the approval letter.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Natalie Kessee, Contracts Manager, 388-0869) on June 18, 2020; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 24, 2020; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on June 23, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on June 24, 2020.