REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 27, 2020
FROM
CORWIN PORTER, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Medical Care and Support Services under the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following agencies to provide medical care and support services under the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Program, in the amount of $1,800,000, for the two-year contract period of October 28, 2020 through February 28, 2022:
1. AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in the amount of $89,145.
2. Borrego Community Health Foundation, in the amount of $527,935.
3. Desert AIDS Project, Inc. in the amount of $500,000.
4. Foothill AIDS Project, in the amount of $304,323.
5. Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment dba TruEvolution, Inc. in the amount of $378,597.
(Presenter: Corwin Porter, Director, 387-9146)
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 amount of $1,800,000 ($900,000 annually) for Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Program is funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2020-21 budget and will be included in the 2021-22 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Ending the Epidemic: A Plan for America funding seeks to achieve the important goal of reducing new HIV infections in the United States to less than 3,000 per year by 2030. Across the United States, the initiative will promote and implement four Pillars to substantially reduce HIV transmissions: Diagnose, Treat, Prevent, and Respond. This funding for the combined counties of San Bernardino and Riverside focuses on implementing activities in Pillar Two (Treat) and Pillar Four (Respond). Activities under Pillar Two (Treat) will address: expanding access to HIV care and treatment in the focus jurisdictions for people with HIV, both those who are newly diagnosed and those who are not engaged in care, and/or not virally suppressed; and addressing unmet needs and improving client-level health outcomes. Activities under Pillar Four (Respond) will address responding quickly to HIV cluster detection efforts for those people with HIV needing HIV care and treatment.
The combined counties of San Bernardino and Riverside first qualified for Ryan White Part A Program funding in 1994. DPH, acting as the lead agency for the two counties, administers the grant funds including development and submission of the annual grant application, acceptance of the grant award, procurement of service contracts, and assurance of compliance with Federal grant requirements.
Upon approval of the recommended contracts, the agencies in the Recommendation will engage in activities that support Pillars Two and Four. Services may include medical care, mental health services, dental care, substance abuse treatment, early intervention services, case management, transportation, housing, psychosocial support, and food assistance.
Contractor performance will be measured by review of monthly reporting, review of required data submission, and an annual site visit by County staff to monitor compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contract, with special attention to the Ending the Epidemic: A Plan for America payer of last resort requirement.
PROCUREMENT
On June 10, 2020, the Chief Executive Officer approved and authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit agencies for the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Program to provide activities that support Pillars Two and Four to include medical care and support services. The RFP was posted on the County of San Bernardino’s Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) and mailed to prospective agencies. A mandatory proposal conference was held on June 25, 2020. Agencies could bid for any of the activities that would support the Pillars Two and/or Four. The following five proposals were received in response to the RFP by the established deadline:
|
Proposer |
Proposed Annual Amount |
|
Aids Healthcare Foundation |
$33,738 |
|
Borrego Community Health Foundation |
$301,050 |
|
Desert AIDS Project, Inc. |
$250,000 |
|
Foothill AIDS Project |
$105,000 |
|
Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment dba TruEvolution, Inc. |
$250,000 |
An evaluation team consisting of representatives from Human Services Program Development Division, Probation, and DPH evaluated the proposals based on the following criteria and ability to: meet overall program objectives and requirements; integrate and/or coordinate prevention and care activities; assess and improve quality of services; provide culturally and linguistically competent services; ensure client eligibility and meet eligibility tracking/documentation requirements; properly allocate expenses among multiple funding sources; fully integrate AIDS Regional Information and Evaluation System and incorporate other data collection systems; assessment of service gaps, track progress of health outcomes, experience with providing services to target population; reasonableness, completeness, and strength of the scope of work/proposed services; and Program Budget and Allocation Plan. All five agencies have been recommended for award in the following amounts:
|
Agency |
Awarded Annual Amount |
|
AIDS Healthcare Foundation |
$32,195 |
|
Borrego Community Health Foundation |
$286,817 |
|
Desert Aids Project, Inc. |
$250,000 |
|
Foothill AIDS Project |
$102,669 |
|
Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment dba TruEvolution, Inc. |
$228,319 |
|
Total |
$900,000 |
Recommended award amounts were based on agencies’ responsiveness to the RFP, and that the activities proposed would be in alignment with the activities that would support Pillars Two and Four, for the period of October 28, 2020 through February 28 2022, with the option to renew for three additional one-year periods.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on October 15, 2020; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 14, 2020; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on October 19, 2020; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on October 19, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 19, 2020.