DATE: September 12, 2017
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Dawan Utecht, Director, Department of Behavioral Heath
SUBJECT: Agreement with Behavioral Tech for Behavioral Health Training
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Make a finding that it is in the best interest of the County to waive the competitive bidding process consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 for unusual or extraordinary circumstances for the solicitation of Special Training Courses; and,
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a sole source Agreement with Behavioral Tech to provide training for Department of Behavioral Health staff, effective September 12, 2017 through June 30, 2020 ($147,840).
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department of Behavioral Health to execute an agreement with Behavioral Tech, for specialized behavioral health services training to Department staff. The recommended agreement funds the training, with no Net County Cost.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action. Behavioral Tech, Inc. is the only agency that can provide the specialized training for behavioral health staff. Similar training has been provided to other behavioral health agencies throughout the United States.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
The Department’s request to waive the competitive bidding process is consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 as the training services for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based practice which no other vendor can provide. DBT is a mental health treatment modality developed by the Linehan Institute to address mental health challenges in a clinically difficult population to treat. DBT is trained exclusively through Behavioral Tech, Inc. for the Linehan Institute. The Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division concurs with the Department’s request to waive the competitive bidding process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum amount of the recommended agreement ($147,840) will be offset with State Mental Health Services Act - Workforce Education and Training funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department of Behavioral Health Org 5630 FY 2017-18 Recommended Budget and will be in subsequent fiscal year budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral treatment. It emphasizes individual psychotherapy and group skills training classes to help clients learn and use new skills and strategies to develop a life that they experience as worth living. DBT was originally developed to treat chronically suicidal individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and is now recognized as an evidence-based practice that has shown effectiveness in treating a wide range of other disorders including substance use disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders.
Over the years, the Department developed a small DBT team whose success has prompted the Department to seek to expand the use of this behavioral health treatment modality. The modality would be used to treat a number of clinically challenging populations, not only within the Department setting, but also throughout the local Mental Health Plan (MHP), which includes many of the Department’s contracted providers. Expanded implementation of this evidence-based practice requires additional foundational DBT training to most appropriately meet the needs of the populations served throughout the Department and the MHP. Through the recommended agreement, the Department will be able to expand the number of DBT clinicians. The clinicians would participate on a number of DBT case consultation teams designed to develop and promote skills and strategies to reduce mental health crises, step clients into lower levels of care, and provide better outcomes for clients throughout the County.
The expanded implementation of DBT, as an evidence-based practice, throughout the local MHP aligns with the Department’s overall goal of implementing evidence-based practices throughout the Department and MHP. The expansion will more appropriately meet the treatment needs of clients and create system-wide efficiencies that are effective, reduce cycles of mental health crises and recidivism, and step clients into lower, more appropriate levels of care through strategies and tools that help clients manage their lives and challenges towards wellness and in recovery.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Sole Source Acquisition Request
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Behavioral Tech
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia De La Rosa