DATE: July 12, 2022
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Susan Holt, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Retroactive Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Applications
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively approve and authorize the Department of Behavioral Health’s previous submittal of the FY 2020-21 Substance Use and Prevention Treatment Block Grant application to the California Department of Health Care Services, effective July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 ($4,757,405);
2. Retroactively approve and authorize the Department of Behavioral Health’s previous submittal of the FY 2021-22 Substance Use and Prevention Treatment Block Grant application to the California Department of Health Care Services, effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 ($4,757,405);
3. Retroactively approve and authorize the Department of Behavioral Health’s previous submittal of the Biennial 2022-2024 Substance Use and Prevention Treatment Block Grant application to the California Department of Health Care Services, effective July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024 ($9,544,810); and,
4. Approve and authorize the Department of Behavioral Health Director, or designee, to be the signatory and act as the Fresno County representative on behalf of the Board of Supervisors on associated Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant application documents, budget change revisions, expenditure forms and reports, with no change to the compensation amount or term.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will authorize the retroactive submission of the FY 2020-21, FY 2021-22, and 2022-2024 Biennial Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) application to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to continue to receive funds to finance substance use disorder treatment and prevention programs. Approval of recommended actions will also authorize the Department of Behavioral Health Director to sign related reports and forms, and to act as a representative of the County. The FYs 2020-21 and 2021-22 applications were not brought to your Board at an earlier date as DHCS created a new annual SABG application process effective FY 2020-21. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no alternative action. If your Board does not approve the recommended actions, the submitted grant applications will be withdrawn and the County will not receive SABG funding for FYs 2022-23 and 2023-24.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The FY 2020-21 and 2021-22 applications provided the County with $4,757,405 in revenue for each respective year for substance use disorder prevention and treatment services. The 2022-2024 Biennial application will provide $9,544,810; $4,772,405 in grant funds will be allocated annually for FYs 2022-23 and 2023-24. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues were included in the Department’s Org 5630 FYs 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 Adopted Budgets and will be included in FY 2022-23 Recommended Budget and future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
Since FY 1989-90, DHCS has contracted with the County to provide substance use disorder treatment services. The recommended grant applications are expected to provide Federal funding dispersed through DHCS to support substance use disorder treatment and prevention services for County residents. The County will be able to utilize these block grant funds to contract with local providers for substance use disorder treatment services to residents who do not qualify for Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) reimbursement and have no alternative payment options. These grants allocate funds for primary prevention program activities that serve residents.
On August 10, 2021, your Board approved Performance Agreement No. 21-10080 (County Agreement No. 21-296), a contract between the DHCS and the County that set forth conditions and requirements the County must meet to receive funding for multiple programs, including the SABG. In previous years, DHCS administered SABG funding through a three-year contract with the County; however, DHCS has integrated the SABG into the County Performance Agreement as of FY 2020-21. The recommended applications for FYs 2020-21 and 2021-11 for SABG were not brought to your Board at an earlier date due to DHCS creating a new annual SABG application process effective FY 2020-21. Application documents are legally binding and enforceable by DHCS as they are incorporated by reference into the County’s Performance Agreement.
Approval of the recommended actions will authorize the Behavioral Health Director, or designee, to be a signatory and representative on all forms and documents associated with the SABG to meet deadlines required by DHCS. On April 11, 2022, DHCS provided a 30-day timeframe to complete all necessary forms and documents related to the 2022-2024 Biennial SABG application. As a result, the County was not able to submit the completed application for approval to your Board prior to the DHCS deadline. Approving the Department Director to sign on behalf of your Board will allow for the County to adhere to DHCS’ time sensitive deadlines, with no increase to the maximum compensation.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #28, August 10, 2021
BAI #25, January 9, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - FY 2020-21 SABG Application
On file with Clerk - FY 2021-22 SABG Application
On file with Clerk - Biennial SABG Application
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa