REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 15, 2022
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Purchase Bus Passes from OmniTrans and Victor Valley Transit Authority for Patients
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Authorize the purchase and distribution of prepaid bus passes from OmniTrans and Victor Valley Transit Authority in a total amount not to exceed $100,000 for use by patients from December 1, 2022 through November 30, 2024.
(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 not-to-exceed cost of $100,000 is funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medicare, private insurances, and other departmental revenue. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) 2022-23 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
The recommended authorization will enable ARMC to purchase bus passes during the period of December 1, 2022 through November 30, 2024 from the following transportation vendors:
|
Vendor |
Amount per card |
Quantity of cards |
Total Amount |
|
OmniTrans (One-Way/All-Day) |
$2.00/$6.00 |
15,000 |
$90,000.00 |
|
Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA) (Daily) |
$4.00 |
2,500 |
$10,000.00 |
|
Grand Total |
$100,000.00 |
In accordance with the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector’s “Internal Control and Cash Manual,” the purchase of prepaid gift cards, under which bus passes are classified, of an amount greater than $2,500 requires approval from the Board of Supervisors. ARMC will maintain and ensure adherence to internal policy and procedure.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The ARMC Clinical Social Services (SS) and Behavioral Health (BH) Departments provide patients with bus passes to assist in accessing necessary appointments at ARMC and its associated Family Health Centers (FHCs). ARMC provides one-way and all-day bus passes to patients for the following purposes: follow-up appointments, return transportation to their residence, transportation to homeless emergency shelter services as well as transportation to counseling, medication, and other support services for continuing stability. The type of bus pass provided is dependent upon the needs of the patient. For example, an all-day bus pass would be given to a patient with multiple appointments in various locations within the same day. ARMC has been distributing bus passes to patients since the hospital opened its current location in March 1999.
Distribution of bus passes supports fiscally-responsible and business-like operations as the bus passes are much more cost effective than the alternatives of medical transport. Medical transportation shuttles have an average cost of $251 per trip, and taxis can cost up to $50 per one-way trip depending on the destination. The purchase of bus passes to facilitate transportation of the patient to their residence, appointments, social service and other resources provides for the safety, health, and social service needs of County residents by ensuring that these patients receive necessary care and follow up services, as well as decreasing the possible occurrence of readmission.
PROCUREMENT
County Purchasing approves the sole source non-competitive justification for the purchase of bus passes from Omnitrans and the VVTA. Omnitrans and VVTA are the local bus transit companies for the areas serviced by ARMC, and are therefore, the sole source providers of public bus transportation services within these areas.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Charles Phan, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 14, 2022; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Buyer, 777-0722) on October 21, 2022; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Denise Mejico, Chief Deputy Auditor, 382-3183) on October 25, 2022; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on October 24, 2022; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on October 28, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Diana Atkeson, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on October 28, 2022.