REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
SHARON NEVINS, Director, Department of Aging and Adult Services
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with WISE & Healthy Aging for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 4 to Contract No. 22-221 with WISE & Healthy Aging, for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, to continue to advocate for the rights of residents of long-term care facilities, increasing the contract amount by $815,000, from $3,172,849 to $3,987,849, and extending the contract term by one year, for a total contract period of April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2027.
(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
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The amended contract increase of $815,000 for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) is funded by a combination of ongoing state (82%), federal (18%), including 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, and Federal Title VII Elder Abuse funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Aging and Adult Services’ (DAAS) 2026-27 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The LTCOP 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 (LTC) facilities, such as nursing homes, board and care and assisted living facilities, and other residential care communities. The program is part of a statewide system of response and advocacy focused on residents of LTC facilities with an emphasis on receiving and resolving complaints from or on behalf of LTC residents.
LTCOP representatives assist residents in LTC facilities with issues including, but not limited to, violation of resident’s rights or dignity, physical, verbal, mental or financial abuse, poor quality of care, dietary concerns, medical care, therapy, and rehabilitation issues, Medicare and Medi-Cal benefit issues, improper transfer or discharge of a patient, inappropriate use of chemical or physical restraints, and more. Service delivery is primarily a complaint resolution process, which includes investigation and response by locally certified LTCOP representatives, consisting of paid staff and volunteers designated to act on behalf of the State LTCOP. As an advocacy program, LTCOP representatives also engage in activities including public information, elder abuse prevention education and training, and legislative advocacy.
The recommended Amendment will extend the contract term by one additional year to permit WISE & Healthy Aging to provide personnel management, including recruitment, training, and evaluation of paid and volunteer staff, to perform the required advocacy activities and deliver mandated services under the LTCOP. The program has been approved by the Office of the State LTCOP.
On March 29, 2022 (Item No. 4), as a result of a competitive procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 22-221 with WISE & Healthy Aging for the LTCOP to be advocates for the rights of residents of LTC facilities, in the amount not to exceed $1,800,000 for the period of April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.
On May 21, 2024 (Item No. 8), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 22-221 with WISE & Healthy Aging for the LTCOP to be advocates for the rights of residents of LTC facilities, updating the standard contract language, including Attachment D of the contract increasing the contract amount by $200,000, from $1,800,000 to $2,000,000, and extending the contract term by one year, for a total contract term of April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025.
On May 6, 2025 (Item No. 4), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 22-221 with WISE & Healthy Aging for the LTCOP to be advocates for the rights of residents of LTC facilities, increasing the contract amount by $700,000, from $2,00,000 to $2,700,000 and extending the contract term by one year, for a total contract term of April 1, 2022, through June 30, 2026.
On March 24, 2026 (Item No. 13), the Board approved Amendment No. 3 to Contract No. 22-221 with WISE & Healthy Aging for the LTCOP to continue to advocate for the rights of residents of LTC facilities, increasing the contract amount by $472,849, from $2,700,000 to $3,172,849, with no change to the contract period of April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2026.
Under the terms of the recommended Amendment, the following performance accomplishments have been established:
• 54 Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) within the county will be visited on a quarterly basis.
• 96 Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) will be visited on a quarterly basis.
• 1,000 unduplicated clients will receive elder abuse prevention education and training annually.
LTCOP has achieved all current performance objectives, including the following achievements:
• 54 SNFs within the county have been visited quarterly.
• An estimated total of more than 96 RCFEs have been visited quarterly.
• Over 1,000 unduplicated clients have received elder abuse prevention education and training annually.
DAAS will continue to measure contractor performance by reviewing service data and expenditure reports on a monthly basis, as well as conducting quarterly and annual site visits to ensure compliance with all contractual requirements. DAAS will also continue to work closely with the Office of the State LTCOP to ensure regulatory obligations are met.
The contract may be terminated by the County immediately if funding becomes unavailable, and without cause by providing a written notice to WISE & Healthy Aging 30 days’ in advance of termination.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on May 21, 2026; County Counsel (Jacqueline Carey-Wilson, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 22, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on May 28, 2026.