REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 13, 2022
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Interim Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Social Science Services, Inc. dba Cedar House Life Change Center for Residential Recovery Services for Adults with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 20-285 with Social Science Services, Inc. dba Cedar House Life Change Center for the provision of residential recovery services for adults with co-occurring mental health and/or substance use disorders, updating standard contract language, and decreasing the total contract amount by $400,000, from $2,213,835 to $1,813,835, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Interim 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 decrease of $400,000 to the contract with Social Science Services, Inc. dba Cedar House Life Change Center (Cedar House) for residential recovery services is due to a reduction in funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Community Mental Health Services Block Grant. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2022-23 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Cedar House provides residential recovery services, which include a drug and alcohol recovery program for adults, ages 18-65, with a co-occurring mental health condition. Services include basic support (room and board), transportation, psychiatric medication management, and ongoing collaboration with DBH’s Therapeutic Alliance Program. Cedar House has provided contracted residential recovery services since 2003.
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and/or substance use disorder services to San Bernardino County residents who are experiencing major mental illness and/or substance use disorders. An integral part of the service delivery system consists of residential recovery services, which provide access to appropriate levels of care based on the consumer’s current level of functioning, and reduces the frequency of unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations.
Due to a reduction in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, DBH is recommending reducing the total contract amount by $400,000 for residential recovery services with Cedar House. The reduction to the contract amount will not impact services provided to clients because the reduction is to the short term treatment and residential services which is not being fully utilized by Cedar House. Upon approval of the recommended amendment, Cedar House will serve approximately 120 adult consumers annually who will receive up to 90 days residential services at a cost of $1,926 per consumer. In addition, short term treatment and residential services will be provided annually to approximately 13 adult consumers at a treatment cost of $284.40 a day with an average stay of 15 to 30 days.
PROCUREMENT
On May 19, 2020 (Item No. 28), the Board of Supervisors approved the non-competitive Contract No. 20-285 with Cedar House for residential recovery services, in the amount of $2,213,835, for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025. Purchasing supported the non-competitive contract with Cedar House with a justification of specialty mental health services.
DBH will continue to monitor contractor performance on a regular basis to ensure compliance standards are met. Contract monitoring is inclusive of, but not limited to, site visits and assessments of policy, procedures, process implementation, and service delivery components, to ensure compliance with contract and applicable laws and regulations. The fiscal review ensures costs claimed are reasonable, allowable, and in compliance with related financial records and procedures.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on August 9, 2022; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 10, 2022; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on August 17, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on August 23, 2022.