REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 7, 2024
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Institute for Public Strategies for Environmental Prevention Strategies and Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 21-433, effective January 1, 2024, with Institute for Public Strategies for the provision of Environmental Prevention Strategies and Services, updating standard contract language, expanding its service area to include the Central Valley, and increasing the total contract amount by $891,158 from $3,025,033 to $3,916,191, with no change to the total contract period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
(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 recommended contract increase of $891,158 is funded by the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Services Block Grant and American Rescue Plan Act supplemental grant. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2023-24 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. An integral part of the service delivery system consists of County-operated and contracted service providers delivering an array of treatment and supportive services. DBH provides a full range of SUD prevention, treatment, education, and recovery support services for families and residents of the county with the goal of promoting prevention, recovery, and resiliency.
Environmental Prevention Strategies and Services (EPSS) are designed to provide effective community-level results using five integrated strategies. These evidence-based strategies include data collection and analysis, community organizing, policy development based on environmental or community condition change, media advocacy, and enforcement. These strategies were developed to drive changes in the community environment and align with four primary SUD Prevention Initiatives: Underage and Binge Drinking Initiative, Methamphetamine and Other Controlled Substances Initiative, Marijuana Initiative and Synthetic Drugs Initiative. The EPSS program objective is to achieve positive change to reduce SUD issues among youth in the County. DBH has provided these countywide services through contracted providers since 2007.
On November 3, 2023, Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) notified DBH that it would be terminating its EPSS contract with the County, effective December 31, 2023. In response, DBH program staff met with three current EPSS providers to determine their willingness and ability to expand their contracts to include the Central Valley (the region previously covered by MHS) and directed providers to solicit interest through letters of intent. After DBH program staff reviewed the letters of intent, DBH determined that Institute for Public Strategies (IPS) would be best able to expand its services areas to include the Central Valley, for the remainder of the contract period.
Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 21-433 with IPS reflects the addition of the Central Valley service area and updates standard contract language, adding Executive Order N-6-22 - Russia Sanctions and Campaign Contribution Disclosure (SB1439). This commitment by IPS to expand its operations has provided for a seamless transition and maintained a high standard of continuity in care for the clients currently served under the contract. This proactive approach ensured that the essential services provided to the community would continue without interruption, aligning with DBH’s commitment to delivering consistent, quality care.
DBH will also 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; and 2) provider invoices administratively and programmatically to ensure client and/or bed counts are accurate prior to payment processing.
This item is being presented at this time as it is the first available Board of Supervisor (Board) date following the necessary time to identify an eligible and appropriate provider, negotiate and complete the required DBH program, fiscal, administrative, and legal reviews.
PROCUREMENT
On June 8, 2021 (Item No. 23), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board approved Contract No. 21-433 with IPS for the provision of EPSS in the amount of $2,466,000 for the period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
On May 24, 2022 (Item No. 37), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 21-433 with IPS for the provision of EPSS, updating contract language and increasing the total amount by $559,033, from $2,466,000 to $3,025,033, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on April 3, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 17, 2024; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on April 17, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on April 22, 2024.