REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 9, 2020
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Skilled Nursing Facilities Specializing in Dementia-related Care Secondary to Behavioral Health and Medical Conditions
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve the following contracts to provide skilled nursing for dementia-related care secondary to behavioral health and medical conditions, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,551,250, for the contract period of June 9, 2020 through June 30, 2025:
1. South Coast Health & Wellness Corporation dba Community Care on Palm
2. Vista Pacifica Enterprises dba Vista Pacifica Convalescent
(Presenter: Veronica Kelley, Director, 388-0801)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of the Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) contracts will not exceed the aggregate amount of $1,551,250 and is 100% funded through 1991 Realignment. Adequate appropriation and revenue has been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2019-20 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and/or substance use disorder services to San Bernardino County residents who are experiencing major mental health issues and/or a substance use disorder. An integral part of the service delivery system consists of providing specialized treatment services to the seriously mentally ill population. The highest level of care is the State Hospital psychiatric unit; the second highest level of treatment is provided through Institute of Mental Diseases and SNFs. DBH appropriately places these severely persistently mentally ill (SPMI) consumers in SNFs as they offer an appropriate higher level of care, and are less costly than the State Hospitals.
SNFs offer a variety of specialized behavioral interventions for SPMI consumers who require psychiatric monitoring in addition to treatment for their co-morbid medical condition. SNFs are licensed by the State of California, Department of Health Care Services. Placement of consumers in specialized SNFs offers an appropriate level of care and is less costly than placement within an acute psychiatric or State Hospital. DBH continuously seeks local SNFs, or those in close proximity, willing to provide skilled nursing services. However, due to the level of care needed for consumers with co-morbid disorders, including the intensity of dementia-related care, few SNFs or other types of facilities are willing to accept them.
South Coast Health & Wellness Corporation dba Community Care on Palm (SCHW) and Vista Pacifica Enterprises dba Vista Pacifica Convalescent (VPE) recently offered DBH access to a total of five beds through two locations in Riverside. SCHW and VPE are licensed with the State of California and meet licensing requirements. Both locations are in close proximity to San Bernardino County, and will be the first SNF providers to offer access to DBH consumers with dementia-related disorders secondary to their behavioral health and medical conditions. DBH anticipates that SCHW and VPE will provide approximately 1,825 bed days, at an average cost of $170 per day on an annual basis.
PROCUREMENT
DBH routinely performs a search of SNFs licensed throughout Southern California that will accept consumers with psychiatric needs and severe medical issues, including dementia-related disorders. SCHW and VPE are recommended to provide the required SNF services as they specialize in persistently mentally ill consumers with psychiatric and dementia-related disorders that other facilities will not accept. The Purchasing Department supports these non-competitive contracts with a specialized credentials justification.
The recommended contracts with SCHW and VPE will ensure the County will provide services to DBH consumers requiring specialized SNF dementia care. Contractor performance will be measured by reviewing required monthly reports and annual site visits by DBH staff to ensure compliance standards are met.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on March 18, 2020; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 31, 2020; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148 on May 21, 2020; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on April 29, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on April 29, 2020.