Title
Mental Health Department recommending Chairman be authorized to sign Agreement 774-S0811 with Star Nursing, Inc. in the amount of $200,000 for a term through October 31, 2010 to provide temporary staffing for the El Dorado County Psychiatric Health Facility on an "as requested" basis.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve.
FUNDING:Medi-Cal and Realignment.
Body
BUDGET SUMMARY: |
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Total Estimated Cost |
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$200,000 |
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Funding |
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Budgeted |
$200,000 |
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New Funding |
$ |
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Savings |
$ |
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Other |
$ |
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Total Funding Available |
$200,000 |
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Change To Net County Cost |
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$0 |
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost: The total funding for this agreement is $200,000 for the two-year contract. There is no Change to Net County Cost.
Background: El Dorado County Mental Health Department (MHD) operates a Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) in Placerville that provides acute inpatient psychiatric services to adults. In addition to serving local needs, the services provided by the PHF are also available to California counties which have established contracts with El Dorado County that permit them to make placements to the PHF. These placements are made subject to bed availability and clinical appropriateness.
The PHF is also a facility that effects involuntary psychiatric confinement of individuals, and as such is required to comply with strict regulations governing various aspects of its operations. These regulations include minimum staffing requirements for nurses, mental health workers, and other health care professionals depending on the number of placements at the PHF. As a result, at times various factors converge to create situations where the PHF cannot continue operating without additional professional staff on certain shifts. The most typical example is a sudden, unpredictable increase in PHF utilization combined with mission critical staff out on sick leave. The most effective means of responding to such contingencies is to obtain the services of commercial temporary staffing firms that can deploy required personnel on an "as requested" basis. Additionally, as a failsafe, multiple firms are identified that can provide the services on an "as requested" basis. Thus, if one firm is unable to deploy the required health professional, there are alternatives.
In January, 2008 the County Purchasing Agent established a list of vendors qualified to provide temporary personnel for the PHF. The vendors on the list were identified through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process that included ranking the firms based on qualifications. As a result of the RFQ, this vendor is being awarded a contract to provide temporary personnel at the PHF as may be requested by the Department. Star Nursing will provide nurses, mental health workers, and other medical professionals to assure that necessary staffing levels are maintained at the PHF.
Reason for Recommendation: The MHD requires access to temporary staffing firm services for its PHF, and Star Nursing, Inc. was among the top ranked firms identified through the County's RFQ process. This vendor will be one of several vendors available to provide these services to support ongoing compliance with applicable regulations and will also allow the MHD to continue providing PHF services for County residents and to continue providing PHF services to other counties.
Action to be taken following Board approval:
1) Chairman to sign original Agreements.
2) Board Clerk's Office to return one (1) original Agreement to Department
3) Department to distribute as appropriate.
Contact: Tom Michaelson, Mental Health