DATE: June 6, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Luchini, RN, PHN, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Agreement with RIZE Consultants, Inc.
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Agreement with RIZE Consultants, Inc. to provide training services to implement Fresno County’s Initiative to Address COVID-19 Related Health Disparities, effective June 6, 2023 through May 31, 2024, total not to exceed $331,400.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action, which will allow RIZE Consultants, Inc. (RIZE) to provide comprehensive health equity training and technical assistance services for Fresno County’s Initiative to Address COVID-19 Related Health Disparities (Health Disparities) program. This intervention is funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Activities to Support State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Department Response to Public Health or Healthcare Crises grant. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended action, the County would not be able to contract with RIZE, leading to significant delays in implementation of health equity policies and trainings for the Health Disparities program staff and partners.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The recommended agreement is fully funded with federal grant funds. The total cost of the recommended one-year agreement with RIZE is $331,400 for the full term. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department of Public Health’s Org 5620 FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget and will be included in the Department’s Org 5620 FY 2023-24 Recommended Budget.
DISCUSSION:
On July 13, 2021, your Board approved acceptance of the notice of award for Fresno County’s Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities grant application from the CDC through the DHHS. One of the grant’s strategies to address COVID-19 related health disparities is through recruitment of a Health Equity Officer (HEO) for the Department, which was fulfilled in January of 2022. Since being hired, the HEO has formed a health equity committee to assess health equity needs of the Department and community partners to aid in addressing the community’s identified health disparities.
The grant’s workplan requires the Department’s Health Equity Officer to align activities with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) State Office of Health Equity. One of the regional alignment efforts includes using trainers that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their services. As technical assistance support, the State’s Office of Health Equity provided a list of recommended vendors approved to provide comprehensive health equity trainings. The Department reviewed the list of vendors and contacted the five vendors who offered DEI training. All vendors were asked if they could provide live trainings, reach specific demographics, offer trainings for large class sizes, and develop health equity trainings. They were also asked to provide a cost breakdown for DEI trainings. Two vendors (RIZE and Colibri) responded, and a meeting was set up with both vendors to further discuss the details of the Department’s training needs. Both trainers provided an outline of their approach to meet the Department’s service requirements. After reviewing the cost and approach of both vendors, the Department concluded that RIZE had the best capacity to meet the Department’s DEI training needs.
RIZE is the only vendor with available training dates that align with the Department’s training timeline, address the training needs identified by the health equity committee, and has the ability to support the Department in meeting programmatic activity requirements. RIZE also offers virtual delivery of trainings, has the capacity to host large scale trainings, can train multiple cohorts, assist with strategic planning for funded partners, offers product development with Spanish translation, and offers master cohort trainings. As a former health equity training provider for CDPH, RIZE’s services are in alignment with state and regional approaches for sustainable health equity work and their services will contribute to the completion of the Health Disparities workplan activities. Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department to partner with RIZE to provide training and technical assistance services to employees and funded partners. Purchasing has reviewed the Department’s informal procurement process and concurs with the Department’s recommendation.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #43, July 13, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with RIZE Consultants, Inc.
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander