REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 19, 2024
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for the California Home Visiting Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve contracts with the following organizations, to provide family-centered home visiting services for improved maternal health and infant/child development under the California Home Visiting Program, in the amount of $211,656 each, for the period of November 19, 2024 through October 31, 2025:
a. Child Care Resource Center, Inc.
b. Reach Out
2. Approve Amendment No. 3 to Contract No. 22-15 with El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, to continue to provide family-centered home visiting services for improved maternal health and infant/child development under the California Home Visiting Program, increasing the total dollar amount by $1,519,688, from $4,034,000 to $5,553,688, and extending the contract for one additional year, for a total contract period of January 11, 2022 through December 31, 2025.
(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 does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of all three California Home Visiting Program (CHVP) contracts is $1,943,000, which includes $211,656 each, for Child Care Resource Center, Inc. and Reach Out, and $1,519,688 for El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center (El Sol), for family-centered home visiting services. The program is funded by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2024-25 budget and will be included in the future recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Division of the CDPH allocates State funding to local health jurisdictions to administer CHVP with the goals of promoting maternal health and well-being, improving pregnancy outcomes and infant and child development, strengthening parenting skills and family functioning, and cultivating strong communities. The program is designed to assist families who are at risk for adverse childhood experiences, which include child maltreatment, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness.
CHVP focuses on pregnant and newly parenting families who have risk factors including domestic violence, inadequate income, unstable housing, less than 12 years of education, substance use disorder, depression, and/or mental illness. DPH is responsible for the administration of CHVP services countywide and has been providing services through subcontracts with community-based organizations since 2022.
CHVP services are provided in client homes by home visiting staff. Services include screening and assessments to determine families at risk; routine screening and assessment of parent-child interactions, child development and maternal depression; referrals to parent support groups, father involvement programs; behavioral health resources, early childhood education and family-based intervention support. CHVP offers two to four visits per month, per client. Interaction with home visitor staff gives parents the tools to independently raise their children through preventative, evidence-based interventions focused on promoting and reinforcing positive parenting and child development.
On January 11, 2022 (Item No. 25), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 22-15 with El Sol to provide family-centered home visiting services under CHVP, in the amount of $2,380,000, for the period January 11, 2022 through January 10, 2024.
On February 28, 2023 (Item No. 46), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 22-15 with El Sol, increasing the contract amount by $232,000, from $2,380,000 to $2,612,000, with no change to the contract period of January 11, 2022 through January 10, 2024.
On October 24, 2023 (Item No. 46), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 22-15 with El Sol, increasing the contract amount by $1,422,000, from $2,612,000 to $4,034,000, and extending the term of the contract period by one year, for a contract period of January 11, 2022 through January 10, 2025.
DPH is also recommending approval of contracts with two additional organizations (Child Care Resource Center, Inc. and Reach Out), as well as an amendment to the existing contract with El Sol, increasing the funds and extending the term of the contract. The El Sol contract term date is being moved to December 31, 2025, to streamline invoicing and avoid prorated services in partial months. The Child Care Resource Center, Inc. and Reach Out contracts are recommended for an approximate 12-month term, ending the end of October instead of partially through November, also due to invoicing purposes.
The addition of CHVP contracts will expand the provision of services throughout the county, simultaneously building the capacity of individual community-based agencies and strengthening the network of providers to serve high-risk families. With the expansion of services, DPH anticipates serving an additional 76 families per year.
All contractors’ performance will be monitored by review of monthly reports and an annual site visit to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contracts. The contracts may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days’ written notice.
PROCUREMENT
Purchasing supports this non-competitive procurement based on timing constraints. On April 14, 2023, Human Services (HS) issued Request for Proposals (RFP) No. DPHE23-HPES-4949 for the CHVP Expansion. However, no proposals were received by the deadline identified in the RFP. As DPH had an immediate need for services, the Purchasing Department approved their request to forgo re-releasing the RFP. Instead, HS conducted market research to identify potential vendors and contacted them directly.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 15, 2024; Risk Management (Greg Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst II, 386-9008) on October 7, 2024; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on October 15, 2024; Finance (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on October 31, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on October 31, 2024.