Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Accept the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Round 4, Category 2: Universal Screening Grant (awarded through State Agreement 24MHSOAC040; County Agreement 9205) in the amount of $745,200 with a performance period to be effective upon execution through December 31, 2027;
2) Accept the MHSSA Round 4, Category 3: Sustainability Grant (awarded through State Agreement 24MHSOAC0008; County Agreement 9204) in the amount of $450,000, with a performance period to be effective upon execution through December 31, 2027;
3) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Amendment I to Funding Out Agreement 6514 with El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) authorizing the subaward of the entirety of the MHSSA Round 4, Categories 2 and 3 grant awards to EDCOE, increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $1,195,200, for a new maximum obligation of $6,239,855, and extending the term for an additional year for a term through December 31, 2027, for the purposes of expanding the provision of MHSSA services to students in El Dorado County schools;
4) Designate EDCOE to serve as the Lead Agency for the MHSSA Round 4 grants, as allowed by California Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 5886(b)(2), with specific designation to Dr. Ed Manansala, EDCOE County Superintendent of Schools, or Matt Smith, EDCOE Director of Mental Health and Wellness (or their successors) to serve as the Lead Grant Coordinator(s);
5) Delegate authority to the HHSA Director or Chief Assistant Director to execute the resulting MHSAA funding agreements and future amendments that do not increase Net County Cost, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval as applicable, and subsequent administrative documents or required fiscal or programmatic reports; and
6) Authorize the HHSA Director, or Chief Assistant Director, to execute further documents relating to Funding Out Agreement 6514, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management, including amendments which do not increase the maximum dollar amount or term of the Agreement.
FUNDING: 100% State MHSSA funding administered by the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC); no matching funds are required.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
The MHSSA was established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 to be used to promote school mental health and reach of mental health services and to serve at-risk children and families. The MHSSA grant was enacted to form a Partnership Grant Program to incentivize partnerships between county behavioral health or mental health departments and education agencies to implement school mental health services to reach and serve at-risk children, families, and neighborhoods throughout the State. The MHSOAC was appointed the overseer of the MHSSA Partnership Grant Program and was provided $40 million one-time funding and $10 million ongoing funding in State Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds to administer the program.
In 2022, MHSOAC released MHSSA Round 2 and Round 3 Request for Applications (RFA). The HHSA Behavioral Health Division (BHD) partnered with the EDCOE to submit both partnership grant applications to the MHSAOC. Within their Round 2/3 application submissions, HHSA BHD and EDCOE provided their joint mental health services implementation plans and budgets to expend MHSSA funds over five years to deliver mental health services to children and youth in a combined 58 El Dorado County schools.
Subsequently, the County was awarded both Round 2 MHSSA grant funding and Round 3 MHSSA grant funding. On March 8, 2022, the Board accepted MHSSA Round 2 grant funds in the amount of $4,000,000 for the term of March 3, 2022, through June 30, 2026, and authorized the HHSA Director to execute the resulting Funding Agreement 21MHWSOAC049 (County Agreement 7485) (Legistar file 22-0355). On October 11, 2022, the Board accepted MHSSA Round 3 grant funds in the amount of $1,044,665, with the extended term date through December 31, 2026, and authorized the HHSA Director to execute Amendment 1 to the Funding Agreement (Legistar file 22-1257). Amendment 1 combined the Round 2 funding award ($4 million) with the additional Round 3 award ($1,044,665), for a total award of $5,044,655.
On March 21, 2023, the Board approved to subaward the entirety of the MHSSA grants through Funding Out Agreement 6514 to EDCOE for direct implementation of the MHSSA Program in the 58 selected schools, under the condition that EDCOE will reimburse HHSA BHD for mental health treatment services rendered to students through the MHSSA Program, during the term of the agreement (Legistar file 23-0493). In partnership with HHSA BHD, EDCOE is using the funding to primarily provide staff to operate the MHSSA program, thereby: a) expanding mental health services within the participating community schools to identify students who are experiencing mild to severe mental health issues and connect these students to appropriate services; b) providing professional development for staff at participating schools and program staff to create positive social-emotional school environments and expanding capacity at schools for addressing students’ mental health needs; and c) building upon mental health services currently existing in the County to fill in some existing gaps and help eliminate barriers for youth seeking or accessing mental health services.
In early 2024, the MHSOAC announced its RFA for MHSSA Round 4 grant funding. On June 26, 2024, the HHSA BHD in partnership with the EDCOE, submitted applications for several categories of funding as identified in the RFA. On August 12, 2024, the County was notified that they had been awarded funding in Category 2: Universal Screening, in the amount of $745,200, and funding in Category 3: Sustainability, in the amount of $450,000.
MHSOAC Funding Agreement 24MHSOAC040 (County Agreement 9205) for the Category 2 funding provides for a local planning team to be established to develop and explore a universal mental health screening plan in the county's K-12 schools. Through the planning process, HHSA BHD and EDCOE will assess needs, identify goals, objectives, and challenges related to implementing universal screening as well as seeking buy-in from students and their parents/caregivers.
MHSOAC Funding Agreement 24MHSOAC0008 (County Agreement 9204) for the Category 3 funding provides for a Quality Improvement and Sustainability (QIS) Coordinator to be hired within year one of the grant. A sustainability strategy will be developed, maintained, and reported on in years two and three of the grant. The strategy will include identifying potential funding sources, assessing potential funding sources to sufficiently sustain MHSSA services, and identify barriers potentially making funding sources difficult to utilize.
As with the prior rounds, it is HHSA’s recommendation to subaward the entirety of MHSSA Round 4 awards (Categories 2 and 3) to EDCOE via Amendment I to the existing Funding Out Agreement 6514. By doing so, children and youth throughout El Dorado County schools will be provided access through the BHD and EDCOE partnership grant to universal mental health screenings in school and strategies for MHSSA program sustainability can proceed.
HHSA recommends this item to enable EDCOE to expand existing services provided through the MHSSA Partnership Grant, thereby enhancing children and youth student access to universal mental health screenings in local schools and to develop strategies for MHSSA program sustainability.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, the County would not receive the MHSSA Round 4 grant awards in the amount of $745,200 and $450,000. Consequently, HHSA and the EDCOE would be limited in their ability to expand existing services to provide children and youth throughout El Dorado County through the MHSSA Partnership Grant program.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 03/08/22, 22-0355, HHSA Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Grant Acceptance
2) 10/11/22, 22-1257, HHSA Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Funding Round 3 Acceptance and Agreement Execution
3) 03/21/23, 23-0493, HHSA Funding Out Agreement 6514 with EDCOE
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel, Risk Management and the El Dorado County Office of Education. The Auditor was notified 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 2024-25 Budget and will be included in future budgets for the terms of the Agreements.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS:
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
N/A
CONTACT:
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency