REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 27, 2023
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts with School Districts for School Aged Treatment Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following school districts for the provision of School-Aged Treatment Services in their jurisdictions, in a total amount not to exceed $13,267,625, for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028:
1. Chino Valley Unified School District, in the amount of $4,167,165.
2. Ontario-Montclair School District, in the amount of $6,250,000.
3. Upland Unified School District, in the amount of $2,850,460.
(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 recommended amount of $13,267,625 ($2,653,525 annually) for School-Aged Treatment Services (SATS) will be funded through a combination of Federal Financial Participation Medi-Cal, 2011 Realignment and an agency match funded by each of the school districts. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2023-24 recommended budget and will be included in future budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As the Mental Health Plan for San Bernardino County (County), DBH provides authorization and oversight for inpatient and outpatient specialty mental health services (SMHS). Since 2015, DBH has provided SATS through contracted services, which provides an array of SMHS designed to provide the maximum reduction of mental disability and restoration or maintenance of functioning consistent with the requirements for learning, development, independent living and enhanced self-sufficiency of school-aged children. Services include assessment, crisis intervention, medication support, plan development, therapy, and case management.
The target population includes school-age children/youth (up to age 21) that experience significant distress and resulting dysfunction due to a mental health condition and thus meet Medi-Cal medical necessity criteria. Although SATS are available to all school districts, many have declined to participate due to the extensive obligations (Medi-Cal certification, documentation, and billing).
Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), Ontario-Montclair School District (OMSD), and Upland Unified School District (UUSD) provide a range of behavioral health services that are tailored to meet the needs of students who are Medi-Cal eligible beneficiaries. In addition, services are provided to adolescents who are described as dually diagnosed, a designation to describe an individual in need of mental health and substance use disorder services. CVUSD, OMSD, and UUSD provide these school-based mental health services as required under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment program, a federally mandated Medicaid program. The intent of the program is to extend Medi-Cal coverage to students to assist in the identification of each student’s physical/mental needs and to provide appropriate treatment in order to correct and/or improve their physical/mental condition. DBH anticipates that it will provide services to approximately 663 students within the school districts annually, at an estimated cost of $4,000 per student.
DBH is recommending specialized services contracts with CVUSD, OMSD, and UUSD due to the continued need of SATS for their students, for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028. The school districts are able to meet the match requirements for the recommended contracts by leveraging State Department of Education funding to offer school-based mental health services to children with disabilities and to children living in foster families.
PROCUREMENT
Based on the critical need of SATS for students, DBH requests the approval of specialized credential contracts with CVUSD, OMSD, and UUSD to provide services to their students. The Purchasing Department concurs with DBH’s request for approval of the specialized mental health service contracts as the school districts provide services to students within their districts without utilizing any local funding.
DBH will monitor contractor performance on a regular basis to ensure compliance standards are met. Contract monitoring is inclusive of, but not limited to, site visits and assessments of policy, procedures, process implementation, and service delivery components, to ensure compliance with contract and applicable laws and regulations. The fiscal review ensures costs claimed are reasonable, allowable, and in compliance with related financial records and procedures.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on May 2, 2023; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 5, 2023; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on May 17, 2023; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on May 31, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on June 8, 2023.