REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 4, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Fee-For-Service Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following agencies, for the provision of Fee-For-Service Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services, incorporating these contracts into the existing aggregate funding pool for Fee-For-Service Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services, in an amount not to exceed $60,869,390:
1. Loma Linda University Medical Center for the contract period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
2. View Behavioral Health, LLC upon execution, 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 total aggregate contract amount not to exceed $60,869,390 will be funded by 1991 Realignment funds. 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 illness (SMI) and/or SUD. DBH entered into a contract with the Department of Health Care Services as a Mental Health Plan (MHP) established under Assembly Bill 757 (AB 757) in January 1995. As an MHP, DBH is responsible for providing access to high quality specialty mental health services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the most cost-effective manner possible.
AB 757 allowed for the phased implementation of managed mental health care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries through Short-Doyle Medi-Cal and Fee-For-Service (FFS) contracts with MHPs and standardized the requirements for all MHPs that participate in the Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Service Consolidation Program. As a result of the contract with the State and pursuant to AB 757 and related regulations, DBH must contract with area hospitals such as General Acute Care Hospitals and Acute Psychiatric Hospitals to provide psychiatric inpatient hospital services to Medi-Cal-eligible residents and uninsured persons.
Residents who qualify for services are those who are a danger to themselves or to others, or who are gravely disabled because of a mental health condition necessitating psychiatric hospitalization.
FFS hospitals provide psychiatric inpatient hospital services and indigent care services to individuals with SMI at an appropriate level of care. The contracts outline the provision of care to county residents who are Medi-Cal members or indigent persons. The FFS hospitals indicated in the Recommendation have agreed to accept these populations for treatment, determine Medi-Cal eligibility, and bill Medi-Cal directly as appropriate. Indigent persons who are not covered by Medi-Cal will receive care under the County’s Indigent Care Services Program and the FFS hospitals will be reimbursed by DBH. These contracts, along with the remaining contracts under this aggregate budget, are expected to fund a total of 11,067 bed days annually.
On June 18, 2025 (Item No. 30), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 25-511 with Community Hospital of San Bernardino, Contract No. 25-512 with Aurora Charter Oak Hospital, and Contract No. 25-513 with Canyon Ridge Hospital, Inc. dba Canyon Ridge Hospital, in the aggregate amount not-to-exceed $60,869,390 for Fee-For-Service Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services (FFS Hospitals), for the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
DBH is requesting retroactive approval of the contract with Loma Linda University Medical Center to add to the existing pool of FFS Hospitals due to extensive contract negotiations. This item is being presented the first available date following the required operational, administrative, and legal reviews for presentation to the Board of Supervisors. Approval at this time will have no impact on DBH services.
Due to construction delays related to supply chain barriers, the two View Behavioral Health (VBH) facilities are anticipated to open in February 2026. As they are not yet operational, no services will be provided and DBH will incur no costs under the agreement. When the facilities open, services and billing will begin.
Historically, DBH receives notification from the State indicating which hospitals have been designated FFS hospitals sometime between July and September each year. If the FFS hospital list received from the State annually is revised over the five-year contract period, DBH will make any necessary changes and return to the Board for approval.
PROCUREMENT
Purchasing supports the non-competitive procurement of psychiatric inpatient hospital services in accordance with State mandates. As the county’s designated MHP, DBH is required by Title 9 of CCR to contract with FFS hospitals meeting criteria specified therein.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Marianna Martinez, Administrative Supervisor, 383-3940) on September 23, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 30, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on October 2, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on October 15, 2025.