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
Non-Financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement Templates
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the non-financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement templates for public and private schools/other institutions that establish the terms and conditions for training and field experience of student interns, for the period beginning the date of execution through December 31, 2029.
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health to execute the non-financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement templates with the individual public and private schools/other institutions and make necessary non-substantive amendments to said agreements, on behalf of San Bernardino County, subject to review by County Counsel.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
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) as the recommended Standard Student Internship Program Agreement (Agreement) templates are non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Behavioral Health (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. To provide such services, DBH employs qualified professionals in a variety of areas including Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, and Drug and Alcohol Counseling.
DBH provides training opportunities to student interns participating in a variety of behavioral health related educational programs and employs interns as a part of the County’s workforce as a means of maximizing available public resources and helping educate and increase the availability of specialized healthcare workers in the county. The Agreement templates will allow DBH to facilitate agreements with public and private schools/other institutions, such as hospitals, to provide training and field experiences. DBH provides learning experiences through the Internship and Residency Program and helps students receive the skills they need which aligns with the San Bernardino Countywide Vision regarding the economy.
Agreement templates are utilized due to the large number of public and private schools/other institutions interested in participating in DBH’s Internship and Residency Program. Many universities, schools, and programs require additional edits to the templates that allow for federal, state, and local differences in regulations. The edited templates must go through DBH internal review before being approved. Authorizing the Director of DBH to approve the reviewed templates will assist DBH in on-boarding the affected interns quickly, thus increasing the Department’s ability to meet university, school, and program needs.
DBH has operated an internship program through the use of Board of Supervisors approved Agreement templates since 2008, with the most recent approved on February 27, 2024 (Item No. 21). Agreement templates with public and private schools/other institutions establish the terms and conditions for the universities, schools, and programs partnering with DBH.
Multiple templates are needed as the Agreement template for public institutions contains mutual indemnification language that differs from the standard indemnification language in the Agreement template for private schools/other institutions. Upon approval, the Agreement templates will be effective for the period of date of execution, through December 31, 2029, and may be terminated without cause by either party with 30 days written notice.
Language was added for conformance with DBH’s Sound and Photographic Recordings Policy (COM0922) and requires students to sign the DBH Oath of Confidentiality and Code of Conduct prior to initial contact with DBH clients, and additional language was developed for the confidentiality of students’ academic records. Insurance amounts updated to current County standards.
Delegated authority is being requested to authorize the Director of the DBH to execute the Agreement templates with the individual public and private schools/other institutions and make necessary non-substantive amendments to said agreements. Non-substantive changes include, but are not limited to, formatting and updating hyperlinks.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Diana Barajas, Acting Contract Supervisor, 388-0862) on July 15, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 9, 2025; Human Resources (Gina King, Human Resources Assistant Director, 388-0821) on September 12, 2025; Risk Management (Gregory Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst II, 386-8655) on September 10, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on September 8, 2025.