REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 13, 2023
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding between the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District and San Bernardino County for the Community Outreach and Support Team Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Acting as the governing body of San Bernardino County, on behalf of its Department of Behavioral Health and Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, approve the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District for San Bernardino County Fire Protection District office space, the provision of a firefighter Emergency Medical Technician and their assigned therapy canine, for the Community Outreach and Support Team Program that provides crisis services to residents of San Bernardino County, effective June 13, 2023 through June 30, 2026, with the option to extend for two additional one-year periods.
2. Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
a. Find that the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with San Bernardino County, through its Department of Behavioral Health and the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, serves a San Bernardino County Fire Protection District purpose of protecting lives, providing community outreach, and meeting the social service needs of the citizens of San Bernardino County Fire Protection District who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
b. Approve the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with San Bernardino County, on behalf of its Department of Behavioral Health and Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, for San Bernardino County Fire Protection District office space, the provision of a firefighter Emergency Medical Technician and their assigned therapy canine, for the Community Outreach and Support Team Program that provides crisis services to residents of San Bernardino County, effective June 13, 2023 through June 30, 2026, with the option to extend for two additional one-year periods.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
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
Approval of this item will not require the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). This is a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows San Bernardino County (County), on behalf of its Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Sheriff), to utilize office space located within the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD), the provision of a SBCFPD firefighter Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and their assigned therapy canine at no cost to the County. The MOU is for the agencies to provide crisis intervention services in collaboration through the Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST) Program.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 2015, DBH has partnered with various key agencies for use of office space within the agency at no cost to place DBH crisis triage staff in underserved areas throughout the County. DBH manages locations known as ‘points of access’ agencies such as law enforcement, hospital emergency departments, colleges, and agencies within the judicial court system, to assist residents experiencing a mental health crisis.
Following the success of the City of Fontana COAST pilot program, operating under COAST MOU No. 22-140, approved by the Board of Supervisors on March 1, 2022 (Item No. 19), SBCFPD will be providing no cost office space to collaborate with DBH and Sheriff in piloting the COAST program to serve County communities, including Muscoy, unincorporated North San Bernardino, Highland, Mentone, and surrounding areas of the Yucaipa border. The COAST pilot program consists of a crisis response mobile unit, which includes a behavioral health professional of the Triage Engagement and Support Team (TEST), a SBCFPD firefighter EMT and their assigned therapy canine, and a plain-clothed specialty trained Sheriff's Deputy with the purpose of working as a multidisciplinary team to respond to the behavioral health needs of residents during specific crisis encounters in the field.
Recently, County law enforcement dispatch centers have experienced an increased number of behavioral health related 911 emergency calls. DBH and Sheriff wish to collaborate with SBCFPD for enhanced rapid crisis stabilization, thus avoiding unnecessary incarcerations and/or hospitalizations, as well as reducing law enforcement and emergency hospital expenditures.
Currently, DBH TEST staff are co-located within various County and non-County agencies countywide through no cost office space MOUs. The TEST program provides specialized crisis intervention, continuum of care, and intensive case management for individuals experiencing an urgent psychiatric health condition with up to 59 days of follow up services. This MOU will add the TEST staff member to a multidisciplinary team, which is known as the COAST program.
It is anticipated that the COAST team will provide services to approximately 500 unduplicated County residents annually. The MOU reaffirms the County’s commitment to provide access to crisis intervention services for underserved populations at various collaborated sites throughout the county. The MOU may be terminated without cause upon 30 days’ written notice by either party.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on April 6, 2023; San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (Scott Tuttle, Deputy Chief, 387-5974) on May 2, 2023; County Counsel (Richard D. Luczak, Deputy County Counsel, Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, and Scott Runyan, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 4, 2023; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393, Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635, and Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on May 16, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238, Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, and Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 25, 2023.