REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 29, 2022
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Interim Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Services CalWORKs Life Skills Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Mental Health Systems, Inc. for Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Services CalWORKs Life Skills program, in the amount of $1,075,000, for the period of April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2027.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Interim 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 and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The amount of $1,075,000 for Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Services (SUDRS) California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Life Skills Program is funded by the CalWORKs program through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2021-22 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As the Mental Health Plan for the County, DBH is responsible for providing mental health and/or substance use disorder and recovery services to San Bernardino County residents who are experiencing major mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills program provides life skills education for CalWORKs participants, identifies individuals with a substance use disorder and/or mental health barriers, and provides referrals to treatment and resources that will enable participants to obtain and retain successful employment. The recommended contract will provide an estimated 4,190 service hours annually to eligible CalWORKs participants in the Needles and Yucca Valley areas and surrounding communities, at an average cost of $51 per service hour.
In January 1998, Assembly Bill 1542 was enacted into law and required that behavioral health services be offered to CalWORKs participants to assist in removing barriers to employment. The SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills program provides CalWORKs participants information and training by Life Skills facilitators in topics such as stress management, goal setting, home organization, practical living habits, time management, parenting and coping skills, and healthy relationship interactions in order to remove barriers in obtaining and sustaining employment. In addition, CalWORKs participants are screened and referred to appropriate services for substance use disorders and/or mental health treatment.
PROCUREMENT
On October 29, 2021, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of Request for Proposal (RFP) #21-81, to solicit interested and qualified organizations and agencies to provide SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills services at designated TAD offices located throughout San Bernardino County. The RFP was publicly advertised through direct mailing to more than 300 community-based organizations, service providers and other interested parties, advertised in local newspapers, and posted on San Bernardino County Electronic Procurement Network (ePro).
A total of 13 agencies attended the mandatory proposal conference on November 10, 2021. Two proposals were received by the established deadline in response to the RFP. Both proposals met procurement requirements and continued in the evaluation process.
|
Agency |
Proposed Sites |
Proposed Budget |
|
Mental Health Systems, Inc |
Needles Yucca Valley |
$1,077,500 |
|
California Health Collaborative |
Colton Redlands |
$1,269,972 |
The evaluation committee, comprised of five individuals with representation from the Children’s Network, Probation Department, Triumph Borrego Health, and DBH, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria referenced in the RFP; including, but not limited to: demonstrated ability to serve CalWORKs participants, ability to provide required services, readiness to provide services, experience, and staffing levels and qualifications.
Based on the evaluation results of the proposals, Mental Health Systems, Inc. was recommended for contract award for SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills services in the Needles and Yucca Valley areas, for the period of April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2027. The proposal submitted indicated this agency will provide the most adequate and appropriate services and will be ready to provide services by the contract start date. Since 2012, Mental Health Systems, Inc. has been a provider of SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills services to San Bernardino County residents.
|
Agency |
Sites to be Served |
Proposed Total Amount |
Recommended Total Amount |
|
Mental Health Systems, Inc. |
Needles Yucca Valley |
$1,075,000 |
$1,075,000 |
The evaluation committee is recommending only one contract award at this time, as the other agency’s proposal demonstrated a partial understanding of the approach to serve the target population, a limited ability to provide the required services by the contract start date, and limited experience in providing the required services, which did not meet the needs of the County. The agency not recommended for contract award was notified by mail and advised they were able to submit a formal written protest to the Purchasing Director based on the criteria in the RFP. A written protest was not received.
A new procurement for the provision of SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills services will be conducted in 2022-23 to solicit services with additional agencies for the remaining TAD office locations. In order to avoid a gap in services, DBH will provide the needed SUDRS CalWORKs Life Skills services for these TAD offices until the procurement is completed and contracts are presented to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
DBH will monitor contractor performance, provide technical assistance as needed, review provider reports for timely submission and analyze quality improvement plans to ensure outcomes improve client care. Mental Health Systems, Inc.’s Invoices will be reviewed and approved by DBH Fiscal for payment and will verify units and total cost prior to issuing payment.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on February 17, 2022; County Counsel (Charles Phan, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5465) on February 18, 2022; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on March 4, 2022; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on March 7, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on March 14, 2022.