REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 22, 2023
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Funding Agreement with Children and Families Commission for San Bernardino County for the Breathmobile® Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Funding Agreement No. 20-679 with the Children and Families Commission for San Bernardino County, for Breathmobile® Program services, to increase the revenue amount by $549,349 from $1,086,537 to $1,635,886, and to extend the term for one year, for a total term of August 25, 2020 through June 30, 2024, retroactively effective as of July 1, 2023.
(Presenter: William L. Gilbert, Director, 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
This item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as the Amendment will increase funding to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in the amount of $549,349 for a total funding amount of $1,635,886 for certain Breathmobile® Program services provided to children ages five and under. Expenses, such as salaries, vehicle maintenance, clinic supplies, and education material, for services provided to children over five years of age are funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medicare, private insurance, 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 ARMC 2023-24 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ARMC operates a Breathmobile® Program, which is a mobile asthma clinic that provides coordinated case identification, structured mobile office visits, diagnostic testing, physical exam, pharmacological therapy, and patient/family education in asthma management. It travels to approximately 40 different school sites throughout the county, and during school hours, the Breathmobile® staff sees patients that attend the school site as well as any child referred from the surrounding areas. A complete evaluation, examination, care plan and extensive patient family education are completed at the time of the visit.
The Breathmobile® healthcare model has proven to be very successful in overcoming the complex social and economic barriers that can prevent successful chronic disease management in children in lower socio-economic areas. To date, the ARMC Breathmobile® Program has improved asthma management and provided education to over 9,000 children in the county.
On August 25, 2020 (Item No. 11), the Board of Supervisors (Board) accepted a grant award and approved Funding Agreement No. 20-679 (Agreement) with Children and Families Commission for San Bernardino County (CFC) for the County to receive $1,086,537 for the period of August 25, 2020 through June 30, 2023 to support ARMC’s Breathmobile® Program.
This Amendment with CFC will increase the amount of funding for ARMC’s Breathmobile® Program by $549,349 and extend the term of the Agreement by an additional year. The Amendment is being presented to the Board for approval at the earliest available meeting after receiving approval by the CFC on July 12, 2023, and the necessary fiscal and legal revies. Approval of this retroactive item will allow ARMC to continue to provide asthma care management and healthcare education for children through the utilization of the Breathmobile® Program in conjunction with CFC.
ARMC recommends approval of the Amendment to ensure the continued management of asthma care and education for these children and families, which will provide for the safety, health and social service needs of county residents, while furthering the goals and objectives of the County by collaborating with other governmental agencies. The Amendment also allows ARMC to operate in a fiscally-responsible and business-like manner by providing funding specific to the operations of the ARMC Breathmobile® Program.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Charles Phan, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 12, 2023; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on July 28, 2023; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on July 31, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on July 31, 2023.