Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Approve the use of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and safeTALK Community Funding Assistance (CFA) Funding-Out Template Agreement attached (Attachment A), approved to form by County Counsel, to award Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding to qualified subawardees in Fiscal Year 2024-25 and FY 2025-26, in accordance with the budgeted MHFA and safeTALK Projects: CFA Program in an amount not to exceed $75,000 per fiscal year;
2) Authorize the HHSA Director, or Chief Assistant Director to execute the finalized Funding-Out Agreements using this template, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval, in an amount not to exceed $5,000 per each agreement, and for a term not to exceed one year, effective upon final execution through June 30 of the fiscal year in which each agreement is executed;
3) Authorize the HHSA Director, or Chief Assistant Director, to execute further documents relating to said template agreements, including amendments which do not exceed $5,000 per agreement and do not extend the term, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
FUNDING: 100% MHSA Funding.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
On June 20, 2023, the Board approved the MHSA Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plan (Plan) for FY 2023 - FY 2026 (Legistar file 23-0933). On June 18, 2024, the Board approved the MHSA Plan Annual Update for FY 2024-25 (Legistar file 24-0832). The approved MHSA Plan includes Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) services with funding allocated to Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Programs. These programs are projects with the objective of reducing negative feelings, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, stereotypes, and discrimination related to being diagnosed with a mental illness, having a mental illness, or to seeking mental health services. This MHSA Plan included the PEI project Mental Health First Aid and SafeTALK Projects through the CFA Program.
MHFA is an evidence-based project that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems. It also introduces the warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and provides an overview of common treatments. Upon completion of the MHFA training, attendees receive an MHFA certification that is valid for three years. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has developed curriculum used nationwide to cover the following topics:
• Identifying the potential risk factors and warning signs for a range of mental health problems, including depression, suicide, anxiety/trauma, psychosis, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and self-injury;
• Understanding the frequency of various mental health disorders in the U.S. and the need for reduced stigma/shame in their communities;
• An action plan including the skills, resources, and knowledge to evaluate the situation, select and implement appropriate interventions, and to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional care; and
• Providing Information on various resources available to help someone with a mental health problem.
SafeTALK is an evidence-based four-hour training that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. The safeTALK curriculum, developed by LivingWorks, uses a simple yet effective model to empower everyone to make a difference.
The MHFA and safeTALK projects include budgeted CFA funds to enable individuals seeking to become MHFA or safeTALK certified providers in El Dorado County or current providers seeking to expand service delivery throughout the County. An informal application and award process will be implemented by HHSA’s Behavioral Health Division in FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 to select the qualified subawardees to enter into the MHFA and safeTALK funding-out agreements. Subawardees may receive up to $5,000 per fiscal year and earn no more than one certification per fiscal year. The number of award recipients may vary but the total amount of funds expended across all contracts will not exceed $75,000 per fiscal year. For the first round of awards a request for applications has already been sent out, the applications were received after which notices of intent to award were sent and received back signed by the applicants. For this round there were five applicants and all five will be awarded contracts. As the Funding Out Agreements are not a contract for services as outlined in the Procurement Policy, the Board is being asked to delegate signature authority to HHSA Director/Chief Assistant Director to execute the resulting agreements. This will allow HHSA to execute the informally bid agreements timely and prevent future returns to the Board for each agreement. Following Board approval of this template the five pending individual agreements will begin to be processed.
Using the CFA funding provided through the funding-out agreements, subawardees will have specific staff undergo MHFA or safeTALK certification and assign one to two MHFA instructors to provide an eight-hour training session to residents Countywide, HHSA recommends approval of this agenda item to allow the Subawardees of this funding to help in County situations that call for MHFA.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this recommendation, HHSA would be unable to utilize allocated MHFA and SafeTALK Project funding without taking the individual funding out agreements to the Board for approval, which will delay the services.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 06/20/23, 23-0933, HHSA MHSA FY 2023-24 - FY 2025-26 Plan Approval
2) 06/18/24, 24-0832, HHSA MHSA FY 24/25 Annual Update
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with this agenda item. Sufficient appropriations were included in the FY 2024-25 Budget and will be included in future budges to align with the Board approved MHSA Plan or Annual Update budgeted allotments for this project.
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