REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 27, 2020
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director, Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Full Services Partnership Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract Amendment No. 2, effective October 1, 2020, to Contract No. 18-389 with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Full Service Partnership services, adding two Master’s level clinical case manager positions, and increasing the total contract amount by $176,707 from $9,815,603 to $9,992,310, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023.
(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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The increase in the amount of $176,707 for Full Service Partnership (FSP) services will be funded by a one-time allocation from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) and from Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2020-21 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
FSP services provided by Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) are designed to support the FSP consumer and the consumer's family/peer support unit by working with the unique challenges faced by an FSP client in the least restrictive manner available. MHS operates the FSP program providing a full spectrum of community services to assist clients in achieving the goals identified in their Individual Services and Supports Plan (ISSP). Placement services are based on the client’s needs and the level of care determined in the initial ISSP assessment. Homeless FSP clients are more difficult to link to appropriate services without first appropriating a safe and secure home base, allowing a consistent linkage to local services to reach ISSP goals and achieve integration into the community.
The recommended increase will allow MHS to add two Master’s level clinical case manager positions to support Project Roomkey. Project Roomkey is a collaborative effort by the State of California and the County of San Bernardino to secure emergency housing in hotels/motels/and trailers for sick and medically vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness as a result of COVID-19. The goal of Project Roomkey is to provide non-congregate shelter options for people experiencing homelessness, to protect human life, and minimize strain on health care system capacity. The Master’s level clinical case managers will provide FSP supportive services that will include assessments, interventions, outreach, mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment with the goal of successfully housing clients in Project Roomkey.
Due to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, DBH must identify and activate current resources with the skill set needed to prevent individuals and families from returning to homelessness. As a result, DBH negotiated with MHS to amend its existing FSP contract to utilize the agency’s trained and experienced case managers to provide this short-term and time-limited service in order to respond immediately to the requirements of Project Roomkey.
PROCUREMENT
On June 26, 2018 (Item No. 22), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the contract with MHS for FSP services, in the amount of $9,632,155, for the period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023.
On May 21, 2019 (Item No. 42), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the contract with MHS increasing the amount by $183,448 to $9,815,603 and adding two Housing Coordinator positions, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023.
On August 19, 2020, DBH was notified of the need to provide additional resources for the County’s Project Roomkey funded by the CARES Act, which must be expended by December 31, 2020. This item is being presented at this time as this is the first date available following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews. Approval by the Board at this time will not impact DBH’s FSP services or activities.
DBH will continue to monitor contractor performance on a regular basis to ensure performance and compliance standards are met.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on September 29, 2020; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 29, 2020; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on October 6, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 7, 2020.