Title
Sheriff’s Office, Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), and Probation Department recommending the Board:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 172-2023 delegating authority to the Sheriff, Director of HHSA or Behavioral Health Director, and Chief Probation Officer, to accept annual funding allocations, and execute all necessary documents required to secure and maintain the California Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Justice-Involved Planning and Capacity Building Program Round 2 allocations issued by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) through December 2025, in the amount of $1,000,000 for the Sheriff's Office, $250,000 for Probation, and $450,000 for Behavioral Health, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management;
2) Delegate authority to the Sheriff, HHSA Director or Behavioral Health Director, and Chief Probation Officer to execute additional documents related to the PATH Round 2, including any amendments, that do not increase Net County Cost, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
FUNDING: State of California DHCS funding.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) is a multi-year initiative, by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to improve the quality of life and health outcomes of individuals on Medi-Cal by implementing a broad delivery system, as well as program and payment reform across the Medi-Cal program. The CalAIM initiative utilizes the Medi-Cal program to help address the multifaceted challenges facing California's most vulnerable residents such as individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health care access, children with complex care needs, the growing number of justice-involved populations who have significant clinical needs, and the growing aging population.
Providing Access and Transforming Healthcare (PATH) is a $1.44 billion program approved under CalAIM. It provides transitional funding to invest in providers, counties, community-based organizations, and other partners to support the State’s efforts to maintain, build, and scale the capacity necessary to support and implement key initiatives under CalAIM.
The PATH Program provides funding to support the planning and implementation of the provision of targeted pre-release Medi-Cal services to individuals in state prisons, county jails, and county youth correctional facilities who meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the CalAIM Section 1115 Demonstration approval. This funding will also support County Behavioral Health Agencies to implement behavioral health linkages as required by AB 133. As part of PATH JI Round 3 reporting requirements, eligible facilities are required to submit a detailed Implementation Plan that will document how they will use PATH funding to implement each of the readiness elements.
The Board previously approved Round 1 funding for the Sheriff's Office and Probation. Round 2 is an implementation grant funding opportunity that will provide application-based grants to support correctional agencies and county departments of social services as they implement the processes, protocols, and IT system modifications that were identified during the Round 1 planning phase.
The Sheriff’s Office, HHSA, and Probation have applied and were awarded allocations for PATH Round 2 in September 2023, in the amount of $1,700,000 to develop the detailed Implementation Plan required in Round 3. The Plan is to support the planning and implementation of pre-release and re-entry services in the 90 days prior to an individual’s release into the community.
Entities eligible to apply for funding through this initiative are County Sheriff’s Offices to support county jails, County Probation Offices to support youth correctional facilities, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to support state prisons, and County Behavioral Health Agencies to implement behavioral health linkages.
Each of the eligible County departments listed in this agenda item have submitted applications and been awarded allocations as single entities, but for the purposes of Board approval are requesting this combined action approving the resolution and authorizing staff to act on behalf of the County.
ALTERNATIVES
Disapproval of this authorization would mean that each of the three eligible County departments would have to bring separate Board items to request acceptance of awards, and approval of any and all documents necessary to secure and execute this grant.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
02/13/2022 Legistar item 22-2061: PATH Round 1 approval.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel reviewed and approved the Resolution.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
As it is mandated by the State that the County must implement CalAIM, the grant funding may result in a Net County Cost reduction of up to $1,250,000 for CalAIM implementation costs in Probation and the Sheriff's Office and up to $450,000 of Behavioral Health costs. DHCS will reimburse the County for the planning and implementation costs.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Obtain the Chair’s signature on the Resolution and return the signed Resolution to the Sheriff's Office for distribution.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
The use of these funds will assist the County in the implementation of CalAIM that will provide incarcerated individuals with pre-release and re-entry services in the 90 days prior to an his/her release into the community.
CONTACT
Undersheriff, Bryan Golmitz,
Chief Probation Officer, Brian Richart,
Director of HHSA, Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH.