DATE: December 11, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Dawan Utecht, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Agreement with WestCare California Inc. for Overnight Stay Facility Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a service Agreement with WestCare California, Inc. for the provision of an overnight stay facility program and specialty mental health services for adult and older adult mentally ill individuals discharged from local hospital emergency departments and 5150 designated facilities, effective January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2023, which includes a two-year and six-month base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $5,432,489.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will allow for the provision of an overnight stay facility program with appropriate linkage, referral, and specialty mental health services for adult and older adults discharged from local hospital emergency departments and 5150 designated facilities with no increase in Net County Cost. The recommended agreement will allow WestCare California, Inc. to deliver these services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including County designated holidays.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action as services will not be available without an agreement with a qualified contractor to place clients in an overnight stay facility. If the Recommended Agreement is not approved, overnight stay services will not be provided to mentally ill individuals, impacting the local emergency departments and 5150 designated facilities and client care.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The maximum cost of the recommended Agreement ($5,432,489), for the entire contract period, will be funded with Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention funds as well as Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation (FFP) funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Behavioral Health Org 5630 FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget and will be requested in subsequent fiscal year budgets for the duration of the contract term.
DISCUSSION:
The recommended agreement will allow for the continuation of a Supervised Overnight Stay Program that has successfully increased client access to appropriate mental health services since May 2012. The program provides after-hour overnight stay, 24-hour/7-day-a-week clinical response, peer support, discharge, transportation, and linkage services to appropriate mental health programs. The program serves adults deemed appropriate for the program, pursuant to discharge from designated hospital emergency departments and W&IC, §5150 facilities within the County.
Specific services to be provided by WestCare California, Inc. will include transportation from the referring agency to the overnight stay facility, provision of beds, showers and food, immediate mental health assistance, transportation the following business day to a separate office for specialty mental health services, transportation to the appropriate level of care program in accordance with discharge plans, and follow up to ensure individuals are following through with their recommended plans of action.
Through the County’s purchasing division, Request for Proposal (RFP) #18-040 for the Supervised Overnight Stay Program was released April 9, 2018 and closed on June 4, 2018 with one (1) bid received. Bidders at the evaluation panel reached a consensus to recommend award for the Supervised Overnight Stay Program to WestCare California, Inc.
Recommendation for the award was based on WestCare’s extensive experience working with the County’s diverse and unique population as well as their thorough scope of work, which provided a clear vision of how they plan to expand the program to provide more robust interventions to further ensure that clients receive necessary linkage when discharged from a higher level of care and into an environment that can be difficult for severely impaired individuals to navigate on their own.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Mental Health Board has been made aware of the recommended agreement at its November 21, 2018 Board Meeting.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk-Agreement with WestCare California, Inc.
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander