REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 16, 2021
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with Montclair Police Department for Dedicated Office Space
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with Montclair Police Department for dedicated office space for the Department of Behavioral Health staff to provide crisis services, for the period of November 16, 2021 through June 30, 2026.
(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.
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 non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allows the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to utilize office space located within Montclair Police Department (MPD) at no cost to the County in order for DBH to provide crisis services through the Triage, Engagement and Support Team (TEST) program.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 2015, DBH has partnered with various key agencies requiring immediate behavioral health services in crisis situations for no cost office space to place DBH crisis triage staff in underserved areas throughout San Bernardino County. Agencies request DBH TEST services and are evaluated to determine appropriateness for participation based on the availability of like services from other sources. DBH currently manages 26 TEST locations, known as ‘point of access’ agencies, such as law enforcement, hospital emergency departments, colleges, and agencies within the judicial court system, to assist consumers experiencing a mental health crisis. The TEST team’s co-located program allows immediate access to crisis triage by a mental health specialist, which has resulted in thousands of successful outcomes.
In 2019-20, there were a total of 6,056 encounters with co-located DBH TEST staff, many of which resulted in crisis stabilization instead of unnecessary incarcerations and/or hospitalizations. Crisis stabilization with case management and linkage to appropriate services reduce expenditures for law enforcement resources and hospital emergency departments.
The non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines the use of office space at MPD for the TEST service team to provide these services.
The recommended non-financial MOU will allow DBH to utilize space at MPD through June 30, 2026, and may be terminated by either party without cause. The MOU reaffirms DBH’s commitment to provide access to crisis services for underserved populations at a variety of collaborated sites throughout San Bernardino County.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on August 10, 2021; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 24, 2021; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on October 19, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on October 26, 2021.