REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 15, 2022
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for COVID-19 Outreach, Education, and Promotion Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve contracts with the following agencies to mitigate impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing COVID-19 related health disparities, in a total combined contract amount not to exceed $7,100,000 for the period of March 15, 2022 through May 31, 2023:
a. El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, in the amount of $500,000.
b. Inland Empire Health Plan, in the amount of $3,300,000.
c. Reach Out, in the amount of $1,000,000.
d. Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino, in the amount of $500,000.
e. San Bernardino County Medical Society, in the amount of $150,000.
f. St. Mary’s Medical Center, in the amount of $1,250,000.
g. Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment, “dba” TruEvolution, Inc., in the amount of $200,000.
h. Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy, in the amount of $200,000.
2. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the adjustments as indicated in the Financial Impact section below to the Department of Public Health’s 2021-22 budget in the amount of $1,900,000 for the Public Health COVID-19 Response Through Community Collaboration funding (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, 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 require additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total combined amount of $7,100,000 for countywide COVID-19 outreach, testing and vaccine education, and promotion services will be funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Response Through Community Collaboration grant funding. The Department of Public Health (DPH) is requesting an adjustment of $1,900,000, which reflects the portion of the funding attributable to the 2021-22 budget, noted in the table below based on the estimated need for the current fiscal year. DPH will include adequate appropriation and revenue in the 2022-23 recommended budget.
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item/GL Account |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
9300001000 |
40509155 |
Federal - Pass Through |
Increase |
$1,900,000 |
|
9300001000 |
52002445 |
Other Professional & Special Services |
Increase |
$1,900,000 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On July 13, 2021 (Item No. 33), the Board of Supervisors (Board) accepted the grant award agreement, County Contract No. 21-540, from CDC for COVID-19 Response Through Community Collaboration funding, in the amount of $24,844,268, for the period of June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2023, to support COVID-19 response activities with a focus on equity. Under the terms of the grant award agreement, a portion of the funding is to be subcontracted to various community based organizations for the provision of countywide COVID-19 outreach, education and promotion services, in the amount of $7,100,000.
To address the required subcontracted services, the County, through Human Services (HS) for DPH, sought applications from interested and qualified individuals, organizations, and firms to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The goals will be: 1) Reducing COVID-19 related health disparities; 2) Improving and increasing testing, contact tracing, and vaccination rates; and 3) Improving capacity and services, by working with DPH to prevent and control COVID-19 infection or transmission. The focus will be services among those that are disproportionately impacted, at higher risk, and that are medically underserved, including racial and ethnic minority groups, with a special emphasis on people living in rural communities within San Bernardino County. The application requested that services included countywide COVID-19 contracted testing and vaccine education, outreach, and promotional services to reduce COVID-19 health disparities in underserved populations. The following tiers provide an outline of the breadth of contracted services to be delivered.
To categorize the scope of work of the proposed agencies, the services are categorized into the Tiers described below:
Tier I agencies will provide staffing intensive services, such as supporting COVID Ambassadors and Community Health Workers (CHWs). COVID Ambassadors will work within neighborhoods and complexes to promote testing and vaccinations, while addressing and responding to community questions, comments, and concerns. CHWs will help to connect individuals to services and conduct face-to-face outreach, make phone calls, and offer education to community members to amplify accurate information and combat inaccurate information. Tier I agencies are among the largest social service or healthcare providing agencies in San Bernardino County, serving a diverse, varied, and complex population, covering various geographies, including service provision to those who are monolingual Spanish speaking and many others with complex needs.
Agencies recommended for award to provide Tier I services in the amounts indicated in Recommendation No. 1 include: Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), Reach Out, and St. Mary’s Medical Center. Agencies will provide services to the regions indicated in the Procurement section.
Tier II agencies will be primarily focused on the production and dissemination of hardcopy and tangible promotional material, understanding that not all residents are avid social media and web users. Produced materials will be used in instructing individuals when, where, and how to get tested or vaccinated, and the benefits of both. Hardcopy and printed material will also be created and distributed in a variety of languages, targeting various audiences of San Bernardino County. Written messaging will be culturally competent and culturally appropriate visual themes and messaging will also be used. Both verbal and visual cultural competency will be the focus in increasing equity in service provision, promotion, and availability. Agencies recommended for award to provide Tier II services in the amounts indicated in Recommendation No. 1 include: El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center (El Sol), Roman Catholic Bishop of the Dioceses of San Bernardino, and San Bernardino County (SBC) Medical Society. Agencies will provide services to the regions indicated in the Procurement section.
Tier III agencies will be focused primarily on social media content development, dissemination, and advertising to increase testing and vaccination rates within San Bernardino County. This will be accomplished by utilizing multiple widely known social media and sharing platforms and target specific populations or regions. Social media will also allow for very quick adjustments to messaging in the event of new variants, amendments to response activities, new state requirements, or changes in service availability. Changes to date, time, location, including the location of mobile testing units and mobile vaccination units, can be quickly disseminated in this manner. Agencies recommended for award to provide Tier III services in the amounts indicated in Recommendation No. 1 include: Young Scholars for Academic Empowerment, dba TruEvolution, Inc. (TruEvolution) and Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy (Young Visionaries). Agencies will provide services to the regions indicated in the Procurement section.
The recommended contract with Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) includes a non-standard term that differs from the standard County contract terms. Dual indemnification language has been revised in the Contract with IEHP. This term is a non-standard contract provision pursuant to County Policy 11-07 indicated below, which can be approved by the Board. Similar provisions in other medical service contracts between the County and contractors have been approved by the Board. The proposed contract terms have been reviewed by County Counsel and Risk Management.
• The standard County contract does not include any indemnification of defense by the County of the Contractor. Included in the contract is the provision that the Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the San Bernardino County, its Agencies, Departments, their respective directors, officers, Board of Supervisors, elected and appointed officials, employees, agents and representatives (individually and collectively hereinafter referred to as indemnitees) from any liability whatsoever, based or asserted upon any services of Contractor, its officers, employees, subcontractors, agents or representatives arising out of or in any way relating to this contract, including but not limited to property damage, bodily injury, or death or any other element of any kind or nature whatsoever arising from the performance of Contractor, its officers, employees, subcontractors, agents or representative indemnitors from this contract.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to the dual indemnify IEHP, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may be otherwise barred against the County, time limited, or expense limited could be brought against IEHP without such limitations, and the County would be responsible to defend and reimburse IEHP for costs, expenses, and damages, which could exceed the total contract amount.
DPH recommends approval of the agreement with IEHP, including the non-standard terms, as IEHP, after the evaluation process, was selected to best meet the needs of the County in offering Tier I services.
PROCUREMENT
The County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on August 25, 2021 to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide COVID-19 outreach, education and promotion services countywide for a period of three years. The RFQ was advertised through direct mailings to more than 50 community-based organizations, faith-based agencies, service providers, and other interested parties.
Sixteen responses were received in response to the RFQ by the established deadline. Proposals from the 16 agencies listed below met the minimum requirements and continued through the evaluation process. Below is a table illustrating agency proposals received for Tier I, proposed service area, and amount proposed.
|
Agency |
Proposed Region to be served |
Proposed Amount |
|
Community Health Association Inland Southern Region |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$6,589,293 |
|
El Sol |
East Valley |
$1,079,821 |
|
Family Service Association |
High Desert, East & West Valley |
$1,872,570 |
|
Inland Empire Health Plan |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$19,000,000 |
|
Pasifika Inland Empire Coalition for Empowerment (Pasifika) |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$1,872,570 |
|
Public Health Institute |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$19,000,000 |
|
Reach Out |
West Valley & Morongo Basin |
$15,378,157 |
|
San Antonio Regional Hospital |
West Valley |
$6,291,910 |
|
St. Mary’s Medical Center |
High Desert |
$6,261,263 |
Below is a table illustrating agency proposals received for Tier II, proposed service area, and amount proposed.
|
Agency |
Proposed Region to be served |
Proposed Amount |
|
Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino |
High Desert, East & West Valley |
$745,000 |
|
Young Visionaries |
High Desert, East Valley & West Valley |
$649,989 |
Below is a table illustrating agency proposals received for Tier III, proposed service area, and amount proposed.
|
Agency |
Proposed Region to be served |
Proposed Amount |
|
Inland Empire Rebound |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$119,510 |
|
Physicians for a Healthy California |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$371,000 |
|
San Bernardino County (SBC) Medical Society |
High Desert & Low Desert |
$258,000 |
|
St. Bernadine Medical Center |
Throughout San Bernardino County |
$295,753 |
|
TruEvolution |
High Desert, East Valley, & West Valley |
$299,488 |
The evaluation committee, comprised of seven individuals with representatives from DPH and the Department of Behavioral Health, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria referenced in the RFQ. The criteria included: program services, cost, administrative capability, government contracting history, community partnership experience, and subcontracting experience. The evaluation committee and department staff determined the scope of services would include outreach, education, and promotion; service coverage would include the entire geographical expanse of San Bernardino County; and services would target underserved populations.
Based on the evaluation criteria, the evaluation committee determined the eight agencies identified above best met the needs of the County for the provision of countywide COVID-19 outreach, education and promotion services and recommended them for contract award. Although the cost was one of many factors in the overall evaluation process, it was not the only determining factor for contract award. The proposed program, region to be served, and type of service delivery that the individual agency will utilize to provide the required education, outreach, and promotion services was utilized in the selection process, and the cost of services was negotiated with each awarded agency. Agencies not recommended for contract award were notified by email. No written protests were received.
Contractor performance will be monitored by review of monthly reports and an annual site visit to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contract. Contractors will cooperate with the County in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of this contract and comply with any and all reporting requirements established by this Contract. Contractor charges must be for services provided to eligible beneficiaries under this funded program. The County reserves the right to request additional program and/or fiscal reports to facilitate this monthly review. The contracts may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days written notice.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on February 28, 2022; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 1, 2022; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Vanessa Doyle, Chief Deputy Controller, 382-3195) on March 1, 2022; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on March 1, 2022; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on March 1, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on March 1, 2022.