DATE: December 12, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Susan L. Holt, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Amendment IV to Agreement with Mental Health Systems, Inc.
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment IV to Agreement for substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health services at the Juvenile Justice Campus with Mental Health Systems, Inc. extending the term by six months from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 and increasing the maximum compensation by $450,000 to a total of $5,613,333.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will allow for a contract term extension with Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) to continue providing substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring mental health services for incarcerated youth at the Juvenile Justice Campus (JJC), while the County completes agreement development for a single integrated medical and behavioral health provider at JJC. This item pertains to services provided at the JJC in District Four.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action. If the Board does not approve the recommended action, MHS will not be able to provide services at JJC once the current Agreement expires December 31, 2023. Incarcerated youths with SUD and co-occurring mental illness will face a disruption in treatment services and resources and negative consequences due to not meeting with their treatment provider.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The $450,000 increase in total maximum compensation from $5,163,333 to $5,613,333 is fully funded with Behavioral Health Realignment and Probation Realignment Funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5630 FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
On November 6, 2018, the Board approved Agreement No. 18-622 with MHS for SUD, co-occurring mental health services, and Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) Outpatient Services and Post-Release Outpatient Services (PROPS) for incarcerated youth at the JJC. On June 4, 2019, the Board approved Amendment I to reallocate underutilized funds assigned to the youth outpatient SUD treatment program. On July 1, 2022, County Counsel and Auditor approved an informal amendment (Amendment II) to expand the scope of work to address implementation of Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) realignment at JJC. On June 20, 2023, the Board approved Amendment III to extend the term by six months and increase the maximum compensation by $450,000 to a total of $5,163,333.
On November 8, 2022, the Board approved a waiver of the competitive bid process for medical and behavioral health, including SUD, service agreements at the Jail and JJC, and authorized development of new agreements with current vendor, California Forensic Medical Group, Incorporated (CFMG). County implementation of realignment of DJJ youth requires extensive programming and service needs at JJC, including redesign of SUD services. The consolidation of medical, mental health and SUD services to a single vendor will support integrated care coordination for all youths with health care needs at the JJC.
Due to the ongoing contract development with CFMG, approval of the recommended action will allow for a short-term extension period of MHS’s SUD and co-occurring mental health program services beyond the existing expiration date of December 31, 2023. The extension will provide sufficient time for contract negotiations, recruitment, hiring and training of staff, with the resulting agreement with CFMG to be presented to your Board for approval.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Behavioral Health Board was informed of the recommended Amendment at its November 2023 meeting.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #30, June 20, 2023
BAI #8, November 8, 2022
BAI #45, June 4, 2019
BAI #30, November 6, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment IV to Agreement with MHS
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander