DATE: June 12, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Dawan Utecht, Director of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Master Agreement with County Contracted Providers of Substance Use
Disorder Prevention Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Master Agreement with County contracted providers of Substance Use Disorder prevention services effective upon execution, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $600,000.
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, or designee, to add providers to the Master Family-Focused Prevention Services Agreement.
3. Authorize the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, or designee, to reallocate funding within this Master Agreement to contracted providers, as necessary, without exceeding the contract maximum.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will allow for substance use prevention services to be provided to Fresno County children ages 17 and under whose parent or guardian is receiving Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services from a Fresno County funded program. Approval of the third recommended action will allow the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, or designee, to reallocate funding within the Master Agreement to existing and/or new contracted providers as necessary to meet service needs, without exceeding the annual contract maximum.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board opt not to approve the recommended actions, there would be a lapse to services being provided to Fresno County children who have a parent currently receiving SUD services through a Fresno County funded program. The County would then need to seek alternative options to provide for these Substance Use Prevention services to this target population.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The cost of the recommended master agreement is $120,000 per year for a total not to exceed amount of $600,000, which will be 100% offset by Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues will be included in the Org 56304317 FY 2018-19 Recommended Budget. Funding for the remainder of the contract periods will be included in future requested budgets.
DISCUSSION:
According to data collected in Fresno County and reported by the California Outcomes Measurement System (CalOMS), from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017, 3,762 Fresno County adults admitted to County funded SUD treatment programs reported to have at least one minor child. Among those adults with minor children, 2,358 reported that the children lived with them. Research indicates that children from families affected by chemical dependency have greater genetic vulnerability and exposure to factors that place them at-risk for substance abuse. Substance abuse prevention that increases protective factors in early childhood is particularly critical for children who are living in families affected by substance abuse or whose birth parents suffer from addiction. Implementation of evidence-based prevention is a vital component to breaking the cycle of familial substance abuse and addiction.
Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health currently contracts with each of the recommended vendors for SUD treatment services to Fresno County residents. Each has an established evidence-based program, existing infrastructure, qualified staff, and a professional relationship with the clients to be served. DBH-SUD Services decided to query those providers which currently contract for Outpatient and/or Residential services to determine if there was interest in providing this services. The alternative procedure of an open Request for Proposal (RFP) would result in redundant work by these existing providers who have already participated in the competitive bidding process to acquire their existing contracts. If the Department were to award contract to an outside vendor to provide services within the context of existing programs, the administrative costs to coordinate and oversee information sharing and the direct costs for services will be greater than the cost for existing vendors resulting in less value for County dollars.
Therefore, on February 16, 2018, the Department sent correspondence to 15 vendors who currently possess an Outpatient and/or Residential contract with SUD Services Division and provide services to Fresno County residents ages 18 and over. Each vendor was asked to submit a proposal to provide evidence-based prevention services to children of SUD treatment program participants. The Department received four responses, of those, three were deemed to meet the minimum requirements for these services.
Based upon these responses, the Department is recommending that your Board approve this agreement with the following three vendors: Central California Recovery, Inc., Fresno New Connections, and Delta Care, Inc. The approval of this recommended action will allow for selected providers to provide SAMHSA approved evidence-based prevention services to minor children and their parent(s) who are enrolled and actively participating in the providers' SUD treatment programs. These three providers will provide services to approximately 200 Fresno County adults and minor children. The second recommended action will allow the Director, or designee, to add additional qualified vendors to the extent that funding is available.
The recommended agreements may be terminated by either party by giving a 30-day advance written notice.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #43, June 20, 2017, Amendment to Master Agreement
BAI #32, December 3, 2013, Master Agreement with County Contracted Providers
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Master Agreement
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander