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 Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc. for Full Service Partnership Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 23-811, effective December 1, 2023, with Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc., adding the provision of Full Service Partnership services, Community Full Services Partnership in the East Valley and West Valley, General Mental Health services and General Mental Health to California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids recipients in the East Desert, and increasing the total contract amount by $14,195,500, from $9,675,000 to $23,870, 500 with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
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 recommended increase of $14,195,500 for Full Service Partnership (FSP) services, General Mental Health (GMH) services and GMH to California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) recipients with Valley Star Behavioral Health, Inc. (Valley Star) is funded by Federal Financial Participation Medi-Cal and Mental Health Services Act funds. 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 county residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. DBH provides FSP support, which has two components: Community Full Services Partnership (C-FSP) and Permanent Supportive Housing Full Services Partnership (PSH-FSP). In addition, DBH provides support for Joshua Tree Mental Health Court, GMH services and GMH to CalWORKs recipients. DBH has provided GMH services since 1996, GMH to CalWORKs recipients since 1999, and FSP services since 2013 to County clients through contracted providers.
C-FSP services are a collaborative relationship between the contractor and client, and when appropriate, the client's family. Through this effort, the contractor plans and provides the full spectrum of community services (behavioral health and non-behavioral health services) for the client to achieve identified goals. C-FSP services provide crisis intervention/stabilization, family education, peer support, and treatment programs that treat both SUDs and behavioral health conditions in an integrated fashion which include 24 hours, seven days a week access to an inter-disciplinary team of behavioral health professional staff and peer advocates.
C-FSP services also provide support functions, such as food, clothing, housewares, shelter, employment education, and more using an open format that allows a “Whatever it Takes” approach to help the client reintegrate into their community. The goal of the program is to help reduce the client’s need for emergency services for behavioral health concerns, homelessness, and criminal justice involvement.
PSH-FSP services are for clients who receive C-FSP services but also qualify for housing assistance. PSH-FSP is an evidence-based housing intervention that combines on-going rental assistance with supportive services such as physical health and mental health care for the chronically homeless.
GMH services are for 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 adults are clients that have a severe functional impairment resulting from a mental illness and/or SUD 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. Valley Star is currently providing C-FSP services, which are similar to GMH services, in the East Desert where GMH support is required.
GMH to CalWORKs recipients are referred to mental health treatment by the Transitional Assistance Department. They are assessed and evaluated to determine the level of mental health services needed to remove barriers to employment and to provide assistance in applying for Social Security Income benefits when mental illness makes them unemployable.
On November 3, 2023, Mental Health Systems, Inc. dba TURN Behavioral Health Services (MHS, Inc.) notified DBH that effective December 31, 2023, MHS, Inc. will no longer provide C-FSP services to the East Valley and West Valley. As a result, Valley Star, the only other contracted provider of C-FSP services, expressed their willingness and ability to expand their current contract to include the area previously covered by MHS, Inc. This commitment by Valley Star to expand their current operations provided a seamless transition and maintains a high standard of continuity of care.
Approval of Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 23-811 with Valley Star will provide GMH services and GMH to CalWORKs recipients in the East Desert region. In addition, approval of this amendment will expand Valley Star’s C-FSP service area to include the East Valley and West Valley regions and increase the total contract amount by $14,195,500 from $9,675,000 to $23,870,500 with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
DBH anticipates that Valley Star will provide GMH services to approximately 250 clients annually at an estimated cost of $3,580 per client, and GMH to approximately 59 CalWORKs recipients annually at an estimated cost of $3,814 per client. Furthermore, Valley star will provide C-FSP services to approximately 166 additional clients in 2023-24 and 276 additional clients annually thereafter at an estimated cost of $15,000 per client.
DBH is requesting retroactive approval of this amendment due to extended negotiations with Valley Star to add the GMH services and GMH to CalWORKs recipients. As these negotiations were finalized, MHS, Inc. sent their notification to terminate their C-FSP contract, which required further negotiations to include coverage for the additional areas. Consequently, this is the first available Board of Supervisors (Board) date following the time necessary to complete the required DBH program, fiscal, administrative, and legal reviews.
DBH will monitor contract performance on a regular basis to ensure performance and compliance standards are met. Invoices will be reviewed and approved in a timely manner. DBH’s fiscal staff will verify signatures, and total cost prior to submission for payment.
PROCUREMENT
On July 25, 2023 (Item No. 21), as a result of a formal procurement, the Board approved Contract No. 23-811 with Valley Star in the amount of $9,675,000, to provide FSP services in the High and East Desert, for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on February 29, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 4, 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.