REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Acting Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendments to Contracts for Resilience Promotion in African American Children Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to contracts with the following agencies, for the provision of Resilience Promotion in African American Children services, increasing the combined amount by $2,550,000, from $5,100,000 to $7,650,000, updating standard contract language, and extending the contract terms by one additional year and six months, for the period of July 1, 2023 through December 31, 2027:
1. Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy, Contract No. 23-595, increasing the total contract amount by $1,457,144, from $2,914,287 to $4,371,431.
2. Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc. dba A Greater Hope, Contract No. 23-596, increasing the total contract amount by $1,092,856, from $2,185,713 to $3,278,569.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Acting Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
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 recommended increase of $2,550,000, for Resilience Promotion in African American Children (RPiAAC) services, is funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) and Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2025-26 and 2026-27 budgets and will be included in the 2027-28 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH provides mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to San Bernardino County residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. Within the DBH system of care, RPiAAC operates as a prevention program with goals of reducing prolonged suffering associated with untreated mental illness, increasing early access and linkage to medically necessary care and treatment, improving timely access to services, and reducing stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. RPiAAC programs continue to advance timely access to care for underserved communities, particularly African American, kinship, and low‑income families, through proactive outreach, rapid screening, and coordinated transfer of care through warm hand‑off navigation.
The RPiAAC program incorporates African American philosophies and traditions as a foundation for delivering mental health education, early intervention services and resiliency-focused programming for African American children and youth, ages five through 18, and their families. The program is designed to build upon the strengths of the African American community and comfort and trust in seeking services through staff who are knowledgeable, culturally responsive and capable of identifying the unique needs and solutions for African American families and individuals. RPiAAC has integrated equity, cultural responsiveness, and stigma reduction into all early intervention activities to ensure that services are safe, affirming, and accessible to all participants, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, or ability.
Providers actively collaborate with community agencies, partners, and stakeholders to plan and implement strategies for participant recruitment and outreach activities. These collaborations ensure outreach efforts are culturally responsive, community-informed, and aligned with the needs of children, youth, and families in the regions served. RPiAAC program services include, but are not limited to, intensive school-based curriculum, followed by on-going weekly interventions, individual therapy, case management, linkage to resources, and mentorship/relationship building off-site at youth centers, churches, health clinics, and other community settings.
In 2024-25 RPiAAC observed the following outcomes:
• Served a total of 3,067 unduplicated children and youth clients
• At an average cost of $554 per client
RPiAAC anticipates the following outcomes over the 18-month extended term:
• Serve 8,401 children and youth
• Average cost per client of $303
On June 27, 2023 (Item No. 36), as the result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract No. 23-595 with Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy in the amount of $2,914,287, and Contract No. 23-596 with Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc. dba A Greater Hope in the amount of $2,185,713, for the contract period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
Performance measures for RPiAAC contracts focus on tracking service quality, timeliness, accessibility, and outcomes to ensure providers meet established standards. Contractors are required to submit regular reporting such as monthly service logs, outcome data, fiscal reports, and compliance documentation, which allows the department to monitor progress and identify trends or concerns. Accountability mechanisms, including performance audits, contract monitoring meetings, site visits, and corrective action plans, help ensure that services are delivered as intended and align with program goals. Together, these structures promote transparency, support continuous improvement, and ensure that community members receive high quality, effective behavioral health services.
The recommended amendments to the contracts for the provision of RPiAAC program services, update contract language to ensure alignment with BHSA requirements and to support the transition from MHSA funding to BHSA funding. BHSA, approved through Proposition 1 in March 2024, replaces and modernizes the former MHSA. Effective July 1, 2026, BHSA expands statewide access to behavioral health and SUD services, strengthens equity, accountability, and transparency, increases the behavioral health workforce, and enhances housing and treatment resources. The proposed contract amendments also update program requirement language, including updates to evidence based cognitive behavioral intervention practice language, and increase funding for the extended contract term through December 31, 2027. DBH will begin a formal procurement process once BHSA regulations and funding impacts to the RPiAAC program are finalized, which is expected prior to the expiration of the RPiAAC contracts.
Approval of the recommended amendments ensures the continued provision of RPiAAC services to provide early access to medically necessary care and treatment, timely access to needed services, and reduce prolonged suffering associated with untreated mental illness.
DBH will continue to implement mechanisms to regularly 1) review client service data and progress, conduct site visits and annual monitoring to ensure performance and compliance standards of the contract(s) are met, and 2) review provider invoices administratively and programmatically to ensure client and/or bed counts are accurate prior to payment processing.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Marianna Martinez, Administrative Supervisor II, 383-3940) on May 26, 2026; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 26, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on June 4, 2026.