REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 19, 2020
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title v
Amendment to Contracts for General Mental Health Outpatient Services and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Mental Health Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Amendments, effective July 1, 2020, to the following contracts for the provision of General Mental Health outpatient services, updating standard contract language, adding a transportation component to increase access for rural areas, increasing the total contract amount by $6,340,000, from $19,683,000 to $26,023,000, and extend the contract period from June 30, 2020, for the total contract period of July 1, 2016 through September 30, 2021:
a. Family Service Agency of San Bernardino, Contract No. 16-428, Amendment No. 2, increasing the total contract amount by $868,750, from $2,620,000 to $3,488,750.
b. Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, Contract No. 16-429, Amendment No. 3, increasing the total contract amount by $1,096,250, from $ $3,063,000 to $4,159,250.
c. South Coast Community Services, Contract No. 16-430, Amendment No. 2, increasing the total contract amount by $3,500,000, from $11,200,000 to $14,700,000.
d. West End Family Counseling Services, Contract No. 16-431, Amendment No. 2, increasing the total contract amount by $875,000, from $2,800,000 to $3,675,000.
2. Approve Amendment No. 2, effective July 1, 2020, to Contract No. 16-432 with Hi-Desert Medical Center for the provision of General Mental Health outpatient services and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids mental health services, updating standard contract language, adding a transportation component to increase access for rural areas, increasing the total contract amount by $1,400,000, from $3,600,000 to $5,000,000, and extend the contract period from June 30, 2020, for the total contract period of July 1, 2016 through September 30, 2021.
(Presenter: Veronica Kelley, Director, 388-0801)
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 impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The increase in the amount of $7,740,000 will be funded by a combination of Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation, 2011 Realignment, 1991 Realignment, Mental Health Services Act and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs). Adequate appropriation and revenue will be included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2020-21 recommended budget and the 2021-22 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
General Mental Health (GMH) outpatient services and CalWORKs mental health services are designed to assist in an individual’s reduction of mental disability in order to enhance self-sufficiency through mental health activities that promote learning, self-development, and achievement of personal milestones. DBH anticipates that the recommended amendments to the contracts will allow the agencies to provide GMH outpatient services to approximately 2,138 clients at an estimated average cost of $2,791 per client; and CalWORKs mental health services will be provided to approximately 133 CalWORKs recipients at an estimated average cost of $1,691 per recipient annually.
These amendments include additional MHSA funds, allocated by the State, to specifically increase access to services for the remote/rural areas of San Bernardino County. These additional funds will allow agencies to provide transportation services to clients living in remote areas to access GMH outpatient services and CalWORKs mental health services, as well as the agencies’ travel costs to remote areas for in-person visits.
GMH outpatient services are delivered by contract agencies to indigent or Medi-Cal eligible adults who require Tier III level of care and children who are experiencing serious mental and emotional difficulties resulting in significant impairment in daily living activities and functioning. Tier III adult clients have a severe functional impairment resulting from a mental illness and/or substance use disorder that is persistent in duration and impairs functioning in one or more categories, such as health, self-care, housing, occupation, education, legal, money management, and/or interpersonal/social. The mental health services are designed to assist clients in achieving self-sufficiency and include assessments, evaluations, therapy, rehabilitation, medication support services, crisis intervention and case management. CalWORKs recipients referred by the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD) are assessed and evaluated to determine the level of mental health services needed to remove barriers to employment and to provide clients assistance in applying for Social Security Income benefits when mental illness makes them unemployable.
PROCUREMENT
On June 14, 2016 (Item No. 28), as the result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors, (Board) approved contracts for GMH and CalWORKs in an amount not to exceed $17,391,000, for the period of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2019. The contracts included the option to extend for two one-year periods contingent upon the availability of funding and contractor performance.
On May 21, 2019, (Item No. 36), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the contracts updating the standard contract language, increasing contract from $14,691,000 to $19,588,000, and exercising the first extension through June 30, 2020.
On July 9, 2019, (Item No. 12), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to the contract with Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, adding the provision for transportation services for clients who are recipients of GMH Outpatient Services, increasing contract by $95,000, from $2,968,000 to $3,063,000, with no change to the contract term of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2020.
The recommended amendments will allow DBH to update standard contract language, add the transportation component, and extend the existing contracts by 15 months for continued (GMH) outpatient services and CalWORKs mental health services through September 30, 2021. The extension is requested as DBH will conduct a new procurement for these services during 2020-21, with new contracts to be effective October 1, 2021. DBH will continue to monitor the contracts on a regular basis to ensure compliance standards are met.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Natalie Kessee, Contracts Manager, 388-0869) on April 22, 2020; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 23, 2020; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on April 29, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on April 29, 2020.