REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 23, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc. for Mobile Crisis Response Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc., for the provision of Mobile Crisis Response services, in the amount not to exceed $8,574,159, for the period of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
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 recommended contract amount not to exceed $8,574,159 for Mobile Crisis Response (MCR) services is funded by Mental Health Services Act and Federal Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis Benefit. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) 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. MCR provides crisis intervention services to county individuals, families, caregivers, and other interested parties experiencing a behavioral health crisis or requesting services for someone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
DBH Community Crisis Services provides MCR services to the community from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 365 days a year. Field-based MCR services are available to individuals in the East Valley, High Desert, and West Valley regions of the county. Telehealth, text, and phone services are accessible to individuals countywide, including those in the East Desert (Morongo Basin) and Mountain regions. To comply with the Behavioral Health Information Notice 23-025, DBH has opted to contract MCR services.
Upon approval, Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc. (VSBH), will provide contracted MCR services in the county, including telehealth, text, and phone services for after-hours coverage from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., 365 days a year, for the West Valley, Central/East Valley, and High Desert regions. VSBH will also provide telehealth, text and phone services for after-hours coverage from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., 365 days a year, for the East Desert and Mountain regions. DBH anticipates MCR will serve 1,200 unduplicated clients at an estimated cost of $2,381 per client per year.
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 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 May 30, 2025, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of Request for Proposals (RFP) #DBHE25-ADMIN-5579, to solicit interested and qualified organizations and agencies to provide MCR services throughout the county. The RFP was publicly advertised through direct mailings to more than 700 community-based organizations, educational providers, service providers, and other interested parties, and posted on the County’s Electronic Procurement Network (ePro).
The proposal conference for MCR was held on Thursday, June 12, 2025. A total of three proposals were received and proceeded to the evaluation phase.
|
Proposal Name |
Proposed Regions |
Proposed Costs |
|
VSBH |
Central Valley, East Valley, High Desert, Low Desert/Morongo Basin (Telehealth), Mountain (Telehealth), West Valley |
$8,574,159 |
|
Kings View |
Central Valley, East Valley, High Desert, Low Desert/Morongo Basin (Telehealth), Mountain (Telehealth), West Valley |
$8,521,005 |
|
Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services dba the Sycamores |
Central Valley, East Valley, High Desert, Low Desert/Morongo Basin (Telehealth), Mountain (Telehealth), West Valley |
$8,462,799 |
An evaluation committee, comprised of seven individuals from the Probation Department, Children Family Services, San Bernardino Community member, and DBH evaluated the proposals based on the criteria including, but not limited to: ability to serve the target population, provide required services, serve the number of unduplicated participants, and provide services in the specified geographic area, and measure outcomes; readiness to provide services; experience;, staffing levels and qualifications; and appropriateness of facilities (in proximity to mass transit, facility layout, laundry/shower facilities, etc.).
Based on the evaluation criteria, the committee determined that VSBH was recommended for award. VSBH, although the highest proposed cost, scored the highest during evaluation and is currently providing MCR services. Award and denial letters were sent to all responsible and responsive providers on August 4, 2025. No protests were received within the allowable period.
Based on the evaluation results of the proposals, DBH recommends awarding a contract to VSBH for the provision of MCR services for the period of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028.
Purchasing supports this competitive procurement based on the formal solicitation described above.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Marianna Martinez, Contracts Administrative Supervisor II, 383-3940) on August 20, 2025; County Counsel (Charles Phan, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 26, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on September 11, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst III, 386-8392) on September 9, 2025.