REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Adult Residential Facilities with Social Rehabilitation Treatment Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following agencies, for the provision of Adult Residential Facilities with Social Rehabilitation Treatment Services, in the combined amount of $59,655,420, for the contract period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030:
1. Amethyst Behavioral Health, LLC, in the amount of $11,832,480
2. Helping Hearts California, LLC, in the amount of $47,822,940
(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
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The estimated cost of $59,655,420, for the Adult Residential Facilities with Social Rehabilitation Treatment Services (ARF with SRTS), is funded by Mental Health Services Act funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) recommended 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to San Bernardino County (County) residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. ARF with SRTS assists adults living with a behavioral health condition who no longer meet criteria at hospital psychiatric units but require further care, observation, and assistance. Services are provided in a stable and structured program in an unlocked, home-like setting where clients can acquire and maintain stabilization before they are reintegrated into the community.
ARF with SRTS reduces the frequency of psychiatric emergency department visits, as they are a step down from acute psychiatric hospitalization and other locked adult residential facilities. By providing this option to clients, DBH creates both long term and transitional residential alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization that are least restrictive and most appropriate for the care needed, reducing recidivism in acute psychiatric hospitals and locked psychiatric adult residential facilities, providing cost savings to the County. ARF with SRTS services are considered specialized for County residents.
In 2022-23, 86 unduplicated clients were admitted into the 66 available beds under ARF with SRTS, providing a total of 18,614 bed-days. Upon approval of this item, DBH will have access to 72 beds, serving approximately 100 clients and providing approximately 26,280 bed days annually.
DBH will implement mechanisms to regularly review 1) client service data and progress, conduct site visits and annual monitoring to ensure performance and compliance standards of the contract(s) are met; 2) applicable claims data and claims for reimbursement to ensure fidelity and accuracy of service billing and optimization of Medi-Cal reimbursement in alignment with contract terms and Department of Health Care Services billing requirements; and 3) provider invoices administratively and programmatically to ensure client and/or bed counts are accurate prior to payment processing.
PROCUREMENT
On January 21, 2025, the County Administrative Office approved the release of Request for Proposals (RFP) No. DBHE24-ADMN-5677 through the Electronic Procurement Network (ePro), to solicit interested and qualified organizations and agencies to provide ARF with SRTS. The RFP was publicly advertised in local newspapers and sent through direct mailings to more than 600 community-based organizations, service providers, and other interested parties.
A bidder’s conference was held on February 18, 2025. Two proposals were received in response to the RFP by the established deadline. Both proposals, from the agencies listed below, met the minimum requirements and were reviewed during the evaluation process:
|
Agency |
City, State |
|
Amethyst Behavioral Health, LLC |
Redlands, CA |
|
Helping Hearts California, LLC |
San Bernardino, CA |
The evaluation committee, comprised of four individuals from the Department of Aging and Adult Services-Public Guardian and DBH evaluated the proposals based on the criteria referenced in the RFP. These criteria included, but were not limited to: ability to serve the target population, ability to provide required services as specified in the RFP, ability to service the necessary number of unduplicated participants, readiness to provide services, experience, staffing levels and qualifications, appropriateness of facility (in Geographic Service Option/area, proximity to mass transit, facility layout, laundry/shower facilities, etc.), and the ability to measure outcomes.
Based on the evaluation results of the proposals, both agencies were recommended for award.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Supervisor, 383-3940) on May 30, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 30, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on May 30, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on May 30, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on May 30, 2025.