DATE: November 7, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Luchini, RN, PHN, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Agreement with California State University, Fresno
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Under Administrative Policy No. 34 for competitive bids or requests for proposals (AP 34), determine that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement under AP 34 is satisfied and a suspension of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances, and that the best interests of the County would be served by entering into an agreement with California State University, Fresno as it is a State governmental agency and the only option open and available for these services to students on campus; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with California State University, Fresno, for the provision of Sexually Transmitted Infection screening and treatment services, effective upon execution through June 30, 2028, which includes two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $500,000.
REPORT
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will allow the County to partner with the California State University, Fresno (CSUF) Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC) to provide increased Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) screening and testing among the County’s college population. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. Should your Board choose to not approve the recommended actions, the Department would not be able to partner with the CSUF SHCC to increase STD testing and screening of the college going population and would have to find an alternative method of increasing testing among this population.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
It is requested that the County find under AP No. 34 that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement is satisfied, and a suspension of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances as the CSUF SHCC is a State governmental agency and is the only option open and available to all enrolled students of CSUF for these services. The Internal Services Division - Purchasing concurs with the Department’s assessment that this satisfies the exception to the competitive bidding process required by AP 34.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The agreement is funded by the Core STD Program Management Grant (State Agreement No. 19-10073), and/or other additional funding made available through Federal, State, or local legislation. The maximum payable under this contract is $500,000. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5620 FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests for the duration of the agreement.
DISCUSSION:
Since 2015 the County of Fresno has seen a dramatic increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia within various communities of the County. If left untreated, these diseases can lead to other severe health complications such as Congenital Syphilis in infants, sterility in both men and women, and increased risk of acquiring HIV. While the number of positives cases for these diseases has dipped at times, the numbers of reported cases among young college aged adults into their mid-twenties has remained at a high level. In 2022, Hispanics represented the highest number of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia cases, while Black/African Americans were disproportionately affected with the highest incidence in both categories.
In an April 2023 report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states reported cases of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis all increased between 2020 and 2021, reaching a total of more than 2.5 million cases nationwide. In Fresno County over 50% of reported Chlamydia cases in 2021 were between the ages of 15-24, and in 2022 over 33% of reported Gonorrhea cases were in this same age group. The CSUF SHCC serves the needs of 14,000 to 15,000 students per year and performs close to 4,000 STD tests per year. Assisting CSUF SHCC with increasing the amount of screening, testing, and treatment they can perform for this key population, at little to no cost, will assist the Department in its efforts to tackle the epidemic of STD’s that we are currently facing.
Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department and CSUF SHCC to begin partnering to increase the level of testing, screening, and treatment for STDs among the college aged population of the County. This collaboration will mark the beginning of addressing the syndemic of STD’s, HIV, and Hepatitis C in Fresno County.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Sole Source Acquisition Request
On file with Clerk - Agreement with CSUF
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander