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 Crisis Stabilization Unit Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc., for the provision of Crisis Stabilization Unit services in the High Desert and Eastern/Morongo Basin regions, in the amount of $23,168,073, for the period of October 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
(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 contract amount of $23,168,073, for Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) services will be funded through a combination of Mental Health Services Act, Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation, and Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (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 county residents experiencing severe mental illnesses and/or SUD. DBH entered into a contract with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) as a Mental Health Plan established under Assembly Bill 757 (AB 757), in January 1995. As a result, DBH is responsible for providing access to high quality specialty mental health services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the most cost-effective manner possible. CSUs, formerly known as Crisis Walk-In Centers, provides on-site mental health services in the High Desert and Eastern/Morongo Basin regions to clients of all ages experiencing an acute psychiatric episode, or mental health crisis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
CSUs treat clients who are unserved, underserved, and inappropriately served to reduce unnecessary psychiatric hospitalization with the goal of reducing recidivism, and mitigating expenditures by local law enforcement and hospital emergency departments. Services are provided by professional staff such as clinical therapists, licensed vocational nurses, peer advocates, and psychiatrists. Guided by the Mental Health Recovery, Wellness, and Resilience (RWR) approach, CSU services help the client gain the ability to live a healthy life according to the client’s cultural and individual values. The RWR approach places the focus of the client’s recovery on the client’s strengths and skills rather than on illness and limitations.
The mental health services provided to clients, through the RWR approach, include crisis intervention, risk assessment, case management, and medication support among other related services. CSUs maintain staff qualified to perform evaluations for hospitalization and certified to write the required applications under Welfare and Institutions Code sections 5150 and 5585 when involuntary hospitalization is deemed necessary due to an acute mental health crisis.
Upon approval, Valley Star Behavioral Health Inc. (Valley Star) will provide CSU services in the High Desert and Eastern/Morongo Basin regions, in which there are no other outpatient mental health crisis centers with the ability to provide emergency mental health services to county residents. DBH anticipates Valley Star will serve a combined total of 2,100 unduplicated individuals at an estimated cost of $2,322 per client annually during the contract term.
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 are met; 2) applicable claims 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 DHCS billing requirements; and 3) provider invoices administratively and programmatically to ensure client and/or bed counts are accurate prior to payment processing.
PROCUREMENT
On July 10, 2025, the County Administrative Office approved the release of Request for Proposals (RFP) No. DBHE25-ADMN-5874 through the Electronic Procurement Network, to solicit interested and qualified organizations and agencies to provide CSU services. The RFP was publicly advertised in local newspapers and was sent through direct mailings, both physically and electronically, to nearly 900 community-based organizations, service providers, and other interested parties.
Valley Star was the only agency that submitted a proposal in response to the RFP. The proposal was reviewed to confirm it met the requirements for service and was correctly presented.
A formal evaluation of the single proposal was not required. Valley Star’s proposal was reviewed by representatives from DBH program and fiscal administration who determined that Valley Star met the minimum requirements for service along with having the necessary experience to meet CSU service needs. Valley Star is recommended for award at this time.
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, Administrative Supervisor II, 383-3940) on August 26, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 9, 2025; Purchasing (Joni Yang, Buyer III, 387-2463) on September 12, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on September 11, 2025.