REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 29, 2022
FROM
SHARON NEVINS, Director, Department of Aging and Adult Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with WISE and Healthy Aging for Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with WISE and Healthy Aging for Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to be advocates for the rights of residents of long-term care facilities, in the amount not to exceed $1,800,000, for the period of April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.
(Presenter: Sharon Nevins, Director, 891-3917)
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 contract in the amount not to exceed $1,800,000 for the Long Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program is funded by a combination of ongoing state, federal and one-time only funding sources as follows: State General Fund IIIB, State Public Health Licensing and Certification Fund, State Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account, State Skilled Nursing Facility Quality and Accountability Program, Federal Title IIIB, Federal Title VII, Federal Title VII, Federal Title XX Elder Justice, and American Rescue Plan funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Aging and Adult Services’ (DAAS) 2021-22 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The LTC Ombudsman Program is authorized under Title VII of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965 and works to resolve issues and concerns related to the health, safety, welfare, and rights of individuals who live in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, board and care and assisted living facilities, and other residential care communities.
The local LTC Ombudsman program is headed by Office of the State LTC Ombudsman who directs the program statewide and provides programmatic oversight. Since 1981, DAAS has served as the Host Agency for the local LTC Ombudsman program, providing personnel management and administrative monitoring on behalf of the State LTC Ombudsman to ensure the program is adequately staffed and service delivery standards are met. The program is part of a statewide system of response and advocacy focused on residents of long-term care facilities with an emphasis on receiving and resolving complaints from or on behalf of long-term care residents.
The recommended contract will permit WISE and Healthy Aging to provide the personnel management, including the recruitment, training, and evaluation of paid and volunteer staff, perform the required advocacy activities, and deliver mandated services under the Ombudsman program. The recommended vendor possesses extensive experience in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the program and has been approved by the Office of the State LTC Ombudsman.
Service delivery is primarily complaint resolution, which includes investigation and response by local certified Ombudsman representatives, consisting of paid staff and volunteers, designated to act on behalf of the State LTC Ombudsman. As an advocacy program, Ombudsman representatives also engage in activities including public information, elder abuse prevention education and training, and legislative advocacy.
Under the terms of the recommended contract, all 56 Skilled Nursing Facilities and 251 Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly within San Bernardino County will be visited quarterly. Additionally, 1,000 unduplicated individuals will receive elder abuse prevention education and training annually. DAAS currently employs seven staff members for the Ombudsman Program. Three staff are under contract with DAAS and four are Public Service Employees (PSE). The recommended vendor has agreed to hire five of the existing Ombudsman representatives to ensure continuity of services and a seamless transition. The five staff consist of the three contract staff, who will terminate their existing contracts, and two of the PSEs. The two remaining PSEs will be exhausting the position’s 2,080-hour limit for their time of service on April 1, 2022.
County staff will measure contractor performance by reviewing service data and expenditure reports monthly and conducting annual site visits to monitor compliance with all contractual requirements. DAAS will continue to work closely with the Office of the State LTC Ombudsman to ensure regulatory requirements are met. The contract may be terminated by the County immediately in the event that funds are not available, and without cause by serving a written notice to the Contractor 30 days in advance of termination.
PROCUREMENT
On October 13, 2021, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified agencies to provide LTC Ombudsman Program services. RFP No. DAAS122-OAGI-4343 was posted on the Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) and mailed to prospective vendors. One proposal was received from WISE and Healthy Aging for LTC Ombudsman Program.
An evaluation of WISE and Healthy Aging’s proposal was conducted by Human Services Administrative Support Division, Program Development Division, Clerk of the Board, and Transitional Assistance Department staff. The proposal was evaluated on the following criteria: must be State certified or certifiable; demonstrate an interest, concern, experience, and knowledge in programs for older and dependent adults and quality of care for residents of long term care facilities; must assure that none of its sponsored programs are in conflict with any the objectives and policies of the Office of the State LTC Ombudsman, and that adequate resources are allocated to the local LTC Ombudsman Program; ability to provide services to protect the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents; and ability to provide services to all regions of San Bernardino County.
Based on the evaluation, WISE and Healthy Aging was recommended for award because the proposal was determined to possess the required qualifications, documented extensive experience working with the targeted population, and met the overall needs of the County. The proposal and DAAS’ recommendation were submitted to and received the approval of the Office of the State LTC Ombudsman.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on March 3, 2022; County Counsel (Jacqueline Carey-Wilson, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 3, 2022; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on March 15, 2022; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on March 10, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on March 15, 2022.