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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Make findings pursuant to Section 3.13.030 (B) of the El Dorado County Ordinance Chapter 3.13, Contracting Out, that the Child Welfare Services substance use assessments and treatment services provided by Shamanic Living Center, Inc., doing business as Recovery in Action (RIA) are in the public's best interest and that there are specialty skills, qualifications, and equipment not expressly identified in County classifications involved in the performance of the work;
2) Make findings in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17 Section 3.4(2f) exempting the services from the competitive bidding process, with Purchasing Agent concurrence, because “the procurement is for services where the continuity of providers will provide efficiency or critical knowledge, and other providers of the services cannot provide similar efficiencies or critical knowledge”;
3) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Amendment II to Agreement for Services 8676 with RIA, increasing the amount of the Agreement by $250,000 for a new maximum obligation of $500,000, with no change to the term of three years from November 1, 2024, through October 31, 2027;
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to execute amendments relating to Agreement 8676, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management, which do not increase the maximum dollar amount or term of the Agreement; and
5) Authorize the HHSA Director, or the Chief Assistant Director, to execute programmatic, administrative, and fiscal documents relating to Agreement 8676.
FUNDING: 28% Federal Funding including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program (Title IV-B), Foster Care (Title IV-E), and 72% State funded County Realignment.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
Pursuant to California Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 16501-16508, CWS is required to provide services to promote family reunification for children and families. Such services are designed to promote the well-being of children by ensuring safety, achieving permanency, and strengthening families to successfully care for their children. HHSA maintains agreements with contractors for the provision of substance use treatment centers to ensure that CWS clients can be referred by their case worker on an "as needed" basis to receive necessary, and often court-mandated services from the most appropriate and conveniently located provider. The choice of provider is based upon the specific needs of each individual HHSA client.
HHSA CWS currently utilizes RIA to provide services under Agreement 8676 to clients who do not qualify for services through their private insurance and/or services that are not covered by insurance which includes: case management/care coordination, attendance at court appearances, Child and Family Team (CFT) or Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings, individual/group counseling, initial alcohol and other drug (AOD) assessments, substance use testing, and recovery housing. RIA works collaboratively with CWS staff to assist clients with addressing their substance use issues with the goal of family reunification and/or safely maintaining children in the home.
Agreement 8676 with RIA with a maximum obligation of $250,000 was executed on October 8, 2024 (Legistar file 24-0849), and its Amendment I to update RIA’s rates was executed on November 4, 2024. Amendment II is necessary to add additional funds and update standard contract provisions. The increase in maximum obligation is due to the overall increase in CWS cases, which increased the demand for substance use testing, assessments, treatment services, and recovery housing in the County. The majority of the spending since the execution of this agreement has been due to the increase in drug testing services and CFT participation as these services are not covered by insurance. As RIA is the only contracted provider in the West Slope of the County that provides substance use assessments and recovery housing, HHSA, with concurrence from the Purchasing Agent, recommends this agreement be exempted from competitive bidding to ensure continuity of services, in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17 Section 3.4(2f). HHSA recommends the Board approves of this amendment to ensure continuity of these mandated substance use services.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, the courts could find a lack of reasonable efforts conducted by the County for family reunification cases, which could result in children remaining in foster care for longer periods, and would further delay family reunification. In addition, there could be a negative fiscal impact due to the inability to claim federal dollars for those families impacted by the lack of County substance use testing and outpatient services.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 11/15/22, 22-1548, HHSA Recovery in Action, 5989 A1
2) 08/29/23, 23-1535, HHSA C#5989 A3 Recovery In Action
3) 10/08/24, 24-0849, HHSA Agreement 8676, Shamanic Living Center dba Recovery in Action
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel, Human Resources, and Risk Management. The Auditor Controller was notified of this Amendment in accordance with Policy B-12.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with this agenda item. Sufficient appropriations were included in the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget request, and will be included in future budgets for the terms of the Agreement.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS:
Clerk of the Board to obtain signature of Chair on one original Amendment II for Agreement 8676.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
N/A
CONTACT:
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency