REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 27, 2023
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Amendments to Agreement with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. Relating to the California Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Grant
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Receive Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 22-408, which does not require County execution, with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., relating to the Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services Grant, for an extension of the term by 11 months, for a total term of February 15, 2022 through December 31, 2023, with no change to the total revenue amount of $180,000.
2. Approve Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 22-408 with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., relating to the Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services Grant, increasing the revenue amount by $54,000, from $180,000 to $234,000, for the total term of February 15, 2022 through December 31, 2023.
3. Authorize the Director of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to execute Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 22-408, subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Direct the Director of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to transmit Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 22-408 to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: William L. Gilbert, Director, 580-6150)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of the item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The amendments will extend the term of the grant period and result in an increase in revenue in the amount of $54,000 from the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), which will be utilized by Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) to coordinate care for transitioning justice patients from incarceration into County care services. A match is not required from the County to receive the additional grant funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the ARMC 2022-23 budget and will be included in the 2023-24 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DHCS has contracted with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) to assist DHCS in the implementation and administration of the Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS) Project. The purpose of the project is to support local and statewide efforts to improve first responder, law enforcement, and other community efforts to address behavioral health crises. DHCS has allocated $16.25 million for the BHJIS Project.
Following approval of the grant application by the County Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on December 20, 2021, ARMC applied for a grant from DHCS to fund the San Bernardino Justice Intervention Work Group Project (San Bernardino Group Project), a local initiative of the State’s BHJIS Project. On June 14, 2022 (Item No. 14), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Agreement No. 22-408 with AHP, awarding BHJIS grant funding in the estimated amount of $180,000, for the period beginning retroactively on February 15, 2022 through February 14, 2023, to support the San Bernardino Group Project.
The San Bernardino Group Project consists of ARMC working collaboratively with County and regional partners through the Department of Behavioral Health Criminal Justice Consensus Committee to develop an operational plan of how the agencies can improve the continuity of care and provide improved services to behavioral health patients transitioning from the justice system through staffing and capacity building (collaboration, coordination, and planning with area partners). This operational plan will outline changes and opportunities for improving the coordination between County departments and law enforcement to better coordinate the care of this patient population and to allow for greater efficiencies and better capability to address this population moving forward. The extension of the time through December 31, 2023, for performance of the grant will allow for completion of the plan and recommendations, which ARMC anticipates will be ready for presentation to the County CEO during the Fall of 2023.
In December 2022, AHP informed ARMC that DHCS was extending the grant period through December 31, 2023. AHP thereafter executed Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 22-408 to reflect this extension, but did not provide a copy of Amendment No. 1 to the County until June 6, 2023. AHP is not requiring the County to execute Amendment No. 1.
On January 31, 2023, AHP contacted ARMC about the possibility of additional funding to support grant activities through December 31, 2023. AHP provided Amendment No. 2 to ARMC on March 29, 2023, for the additional funding and to extend the period of performance under the grant through December 31, 2023. Some revisions of the Amendment were requested to align Amendment No. 2 with the original funding agreement, which required some deliberation with AHP prior to submittal to the Board for approval.
ARMC recommends approval of the Recommendations to continue to provide for the safety, health and social service needs of County residents by expanding the availability of behavioral interventional services throughout the county. This includes requesting authority for the Director of ARMC to execute Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 22-408 for consistency, as the Director was indicated as the signatory in the initial DHCS BHJIS grant application and agreement, which requires the County to execute the amendment first.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Charles Phan, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 8, 2023; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on May 22, 2023; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on May 22, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 24, 2023.