REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 9, 2024
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Employment Agreement for Clinical Therapist II
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Employment Agreement with Gwendolyn Smallwood for Clinical Therapist II, with an annual cost of $126,846 ($96,096 salary - $30,750 benefits), retroactively effective January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, with the option to extend the term for a maximum of three successive one-year periods.
2. Authorize the Director of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to execute an amendment to extend the term of the Employment Agreement for one year, on behalf of the County, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Director of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to transmit all documents in relation to the contract amendments 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 this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The annual cost of $126,846, which includes $96,096 for salary and $30,750 for benefits, is funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medicare, private insurances, and other departmental revenue. Funding sources may change in the future pending any legislative activity related to the repeal and/or replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) 2023-24 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
This Employment Agreement for a Clinical Therapist II will allow ARMC to employ a clinical staff member at its Redlands Family Health Center (FHC) who will help to support recovery and assist in the prevention of overdoses through therapeutic programs available at ARMC for patients enrolled in the California Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion Project. The MAT project provides counseling, medications, and behavioral therapies.
The MAT Expansion Project was established at ARMC to provide therapeutic remedies to assist in the prevention of overdoses and support recovery. ARMC’s Redlands FHC is the only Primary Care Clinic to have the MAT program. Counseling is a required service per 42 Code of Federal Regulations 8.12(f), under the Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment Programs. ARMC is required to maintain services to provide behavioral therapy and counseling for the enrolled patients as outlined in the MAT project.
The Clinical Therapist II duties include, but are not limited to, provide the following: psychotherapy for MAT and Department of Behavioral Health patients; specialized therapy models, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing; dialectical behavioral therapy; exposure therapy; case management services; treatment planning; and case conceptualization.
ARMC received approval from the Human Resources Department to create a full-time position to replace the formerly contracted position. The current contracted individual, Gwendolyn Smallwood, who has been selected after performing in this position for three years, will fill this position. Ms. Smallwood will fill a newly created position and request the contract be approved to allow the contractor to continue working until the 2024-25 budget process is completed.
ARMC recommends approval of this Employment Agreement to provide for the safety, health, and social service needs of County residents by increasing access to experienced clinical staff and the therapies through healthcare programs provided at ARMC. This item is being submitted for retroactive approval as the result of ongoing discussions associated with the effective date and salary deliberations.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387- 5455) on November 6, 2023; Purchasing (Veronica Pedace, Buyer III, 387-2198) on December 21, 2023; Human Resources (Gina King, Assistant Director, 386-8623) on December 5, 2023; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on December 13, 2023; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on December 18, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 19, 2023.