REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 26, 2024
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Victor Community Support Services for Therapeutic Behavioral Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 21-474, effective December 1, 2023, with Victor Community Support Services for the provision of Therapeutic Behavioral Services, increasing the total amount by $2,925,000 from $6,175,000 to $9,100,000, and updating standard contract language, with no change to the total contract period of July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2026.
(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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The increase for Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) will be funded by Federal Financial Participation Medi-Cal, Local Share, and the Mental Health Services Act. 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
As the Mental Health Plan for San Bernardino County (County), DBH is required to provide an array of behavioral health services. DBH utilizes a network of providers in a cost-effective manner for these services. TBS are supplemental specialty mental health services under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. TBS is an intensive, individualized, one to one, short-term, outpatient treatment intervention for clients up to age 21 with serious emotional disturbances who are experiencing a stressful transition or life crisis and need additional short-term specific support services to accomplish outcomes specified in their written treatment plan.
TBS serves children, youth, and transitional aged youth (up to age 21) with a broad range of behavioral or emotional symptoms, placing them at risk of anger outbursts, property destruction, cutting, or purging. To maximize the number of children and youth provided TBS, it is expected that every provider serve a primary region and a secondary region. Most of the youth served through this program are also being served by a Specialty Mental Health Provider in a different EPSDT Medi-Cal funded program not funded through this specific contract.
Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 21-474 with Victor Community Support Services (VCSS) is in response to a notification received on November 3, 2023, from Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) that advised the vendor would be terminating their TBS contract with the County, effective December 31, 2023. In response to this notification, through the use of letters of interest, DBH program staff met with three current TBS providers to determine their willingness and/or ability to expand their current contracts to include Central Valley, West Valley, and Low Desert, the areas previously covered by MHS. DBH program staff met with existing TBS providers, communicated the need for service expansion and directed providers to solicit interest through letters of intent. After the review of their letters of interest, DBH determined that VCSS would be best able to expand their services areas to include East Valley, High Desert Mountain, Central Valley, West Valley, and Low Desert, for the remainder of the contract period. This commitment by VCSS to expand their current operations is anticipated to provide a seamless transition and maintain a high standard of continuity of care for the youth currently being served under the contract. This proactive approach ensures that the essential services provided to the community will continue without interruption, aligning with our commitment to delivering consistent and quality treatment to those who are experiencing a stressful transition or life crisis and need additional short-term specific support services.
Upon approval of the recommended contract amendment with VCSS, DBH anticipates TBS services will be provided to approximately 298 total consumers, at an estimated cost of $9,783 per consumer over the remaining contract period.
DBH will monitor contract performance on a regular basis to ensure performance and compliance standards are met. Provider invoices will be reviewed and approved by DBH program staff to ensure client counts are accurate prior to being forwarded to DBH fiscal staff for payment. DBH fiscal staff will verify signatures and service costs prior to issuing payment.
This item is being presented currently because it is the first available Board of Supervisors (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 22, 2021 (Item No. 26), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board approved Contract No. 21-474 with VCSS to provide TBS, in the amount of $6,175,000 for the period of July 1, 2021, through March 31, 2026.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on February 23, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 27, 2024; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on March 8, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on March 11, 2024.