REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 10, 2023
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Avector Community Group, Inc. for Forensic Supportive Board and Care for the Diversion Opportunity for Outpatient Recovery Services Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Avector Community Group, Inc. for the provision of Forensic Supportive Board and Care for the Diversion Opportunity for Outpatient Recovery Services program, in an amount not to exceed $2,318,220, effective upon execution by all parties through January 9, 2024.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, 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 amount of $2,318,220 for Forensic Supportive Board and Care for the Diversion Opportunity for Outpatient Recovery Services (DOORS) program is 100% funded by the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) Grant. The contract total is based on the grant award amount and includes a bed rate of $235 per day, per bed. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2022-23 budget and will be included in the 2023-24 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The State requires each county to have an agency, provider, or other entity to provide mental health services to county residents, which the State refers to as the county Mental Health Plan. DBH, San Bernardino County's Mental Health Plan, provides behavioral health treatment services throughout the county for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. DBH administers a felony diversion treatment program for Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST) individuals and DSH diversion individuals through the DOORS program. The DOORS program is for adults who have been charged with felony offenses in San Bernardino County, and the Forensic Supportive Board and Care for the Diversion Opportunity for Outpatient Recovery Services are an enhancement to this program. DBH will utilize a contracted vendor for provision of these supportive board and care recovery program services.
The DOORS program provides behavioral health treatment services to adults 18 years of age and older who committed certain felony crimes where there is a question of the mental competence of the defendant as detailed by California Penal Code sections 1368 and 1370, or who have been court ordered to diversion as indicated in Welfare and Institution Code section 4361. These consumers are mandated into the DOORS program through four Mental Health Diversion Courts servicing Central Valley, High Desert, and the Morongo Basin areas. Due to the high-risk population that DOORS serves, these adults require housing in a Forensic Supportive Board and Care facility, where they will be provided safe residential housing and accessibility to crisis intervention and treatment services for the term of the diversion sentence.
DOORS program services are designed to assist adults in achieving significant independence and reducing recidivism into acute psychiatric hospitals or locked psychiatric adult residential facilities. Shelter and social/educational groups shall be provided throughout the consumer’s course of treatment with DOORS or until the adult obtains the capacity to transition into a lower level of care and permanent housing.
PROCUREMENT
On January 7, 2022, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP), Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) No. DBHE22-ADMN-4286, to solicit interested and qualified organizations and agencies to provide DOORS program services. The RFP was publicly advertised through direct mailings to more than 400 community-based organizations, service providers, and other interested parties; advertised in local newspapers; and posted on ePro.
The proposal conference was held on January 20, 2022. One proposal was received in response to the RFP by the established deadline. The proposal from Avector Community Group, Inc. (Avector) met the minimum requirements and was reviewed during the evaluation process.
The evaluation committee was comprised of individuals from DBH. Due to receiving only one proposal, independent evaluators were not required. The committee reviewed and evaluated the proposal based on the criteria referenced in the RFP, including, but not limited to: demonstrated ability to serve the target population; ability to provide required services; demonstrated ability to provide the minimum crisis stabilization hours, experience, staffing levels, and qualifications; and ability to identify and perform key outcome measures and provide data collection. Based on the evaluation results, Avector is recommended for contract award as its proposal meets the needs of the County in providing DOORS program services.
DBH will 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 December 2, 2022; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on December 6, 2022; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on December 6, 2022; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on December 12, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on December 20, 2022.