REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 17, 2020
FROM
CORWIN PORTER, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center for COVID-19 Health Promotion and Outreach Campaign Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center to provide COVID-19 related health promotion and outreach campaign services in the amount of $685,438, for the period of November 17, 2020 through May 16, 2021.
(Presenter: Corwin Porter, Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of these COVID-19 related health promotion and outreach activities in an amount not to exceed $685,438 is eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in the amount of $228,479, and Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act of 2020 (ELC Enhancing Detection) in the amount of $456,959. Approval of the necessary budget adjustments to the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2020-21 budget is not requested at this time, but will be included on a future quarterly countywide budget report presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended contract will provide a partnership with El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center (El Sol) and funding support to implement a community-specific health promotion and outreach campaign to reduce COVID-19 positivity rates. The program will target underserved populations, particularly those in San Bernardino County’s high-priority testing areas who are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic based on the California Healthy Places Index (HPI).
Under the terms of the recommended contract, El Sol will provide a culturally and linguistically appropriate community-specific health promotion and outreach campaign for COVID-19 through health education, distribution of educational material, door-to-door health education, emotional and social support, and test site referrals utilizing their established Community Health Worker/Promotores de Salud model. The contract with El Sol will fund promotion, expenses, and activities directly related to COVID-19 education, social support, and community outreach. It is anticipated that this will result in contacts with 60,000 residents in identified “hot spot” areas throughout San Bernardino County.
PROCUREMENT
The procurement of the recommended contract with the El Sol was the result of a non-competitive process. El Sol has a network of experienced community health workers throughout San Bernardino County that can provide COVID-19 outreach and health education campaign to underserved populations. Per 2 CFR § 200.320(f)(2), non-state entities are allowed to noncompetitively procure contracts under certain emergency or exigent circumstances. El Sol is the only vendor capable of providing the required services and detailed scope of work based on the needs identified by DPH.
On March 10, 2020 (Item No. 75), the Board proclaimed the existence of a local emergency within San Bernardino County resulting from COVID-19, which causes infectious disease resulting in symptoms of fever, coughing and shortness of breath with outcomes ranging from mild to severe illness and in some cases, death. Pursuant to County Policy 11-04, “Standard procurement policies and procedures will be used to the extent practicable during a local emergency. If not practicable, any reasonable procedures will be utilized.” Therefore, DPH is recommending the non-competitive contract with El Sol due to the current public health emergency in order to prevent delays that would result from a competitive solicitation. The Purchasing Department concurs with this non-competitive contract based on timing constraints and the current public health emergency.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on October 28, 2020; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 28, 2020; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on October 28, 2020; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on October 28, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 28, 2020.