Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Make findings that the provision of Mental Health Student Services Act Partnership Grant Program services provided by Contractor are in the public's best interest and due to “limited timeframes, temporary or occasional nature, or schedule for the project or scope of work, the ongoing aggregate of work to be performed is not sufficient to warrant addition of permanent staff” in accordance with El Dorado County Ordinance Code, Chapter 3.13.030(C);
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Funding Out Agreement 6514 with the El Dorado County Office of Education with a not-to-exceed amount of $5,044,655, and for a term effective upon final execution through December 31, 2026; and
3) Authorize the HHSA Director, or Director of Behavioral Health, 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 Mental Health Services Act funds. No matching funds are required.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
Under State of California (State) Statutes of 2019 (Senate Bill 75), the Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) 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 Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (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.
Thus far, the MHSOAC issued three (3) competitive Requests for Applications (RFA) (Round 1: 2019-2020; Round 2: 2020-2021; and Round 3: 2021-2022) to award the MHSSA partnership grants to county mental health or behavioral health departments and education agencies. As outlined in the RFAs, mental health or behavioral health departments had to partner with one (1) or more school districts and a County Office of Education or charter school located within the county, to submit joint plans and proposed budgets for expending MHSSA funds to provide mental health services in school locations that are easily accessible to students and their families.
In response to the MHSSA Round 2 and Round 3 RFAs, the El Dorado County (County) Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Behavioral Health Division (BHD) partnered with the El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) to submit both partnership grant applications to the MHSAOC. Within the Round 2 and Round 3 applications, HHSA BHD and EDCOE provided their joint mental health services implementation plans and budgets to expend MHSSA funds over five-(5) years to deliver mental health services to children and youth in a combined 58 El Dorado County schools. The MHSAOC awarded HHSA BHD and EDCOE the Round 2 MHSSA grant application on February 16, 2022, and the Round 3 MHSSA grant application was awarded on September 1, 2022.
On March 8, 2022 (File ID: 22-0355), the Board of Supervisors (Board) accepted MHSSA Round 2 grant funds awarded to HHSA BHD by the MHSOAC, for the term of March 3, 2022, through June 30, 2026, in the amount of $4,000,000, and authorized the HHSA Director to execute the resulting Funding Agreement No. 21MHWSOAC049. Thereafter, on October 11, 2022 (File ID: 22-1257), 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 Agreement 21MHWSOAC049. The Amendment 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.
HHSA BHD intends to transfer the entirety of MHSSA grants awarded under Agreement 21MHSOAC049 and Amendment 1, through Funding Out Agreement No. 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. This Funding Out Agreement is necessary to pass through the MHSSA grant funding to EDCOE as described herein.
In partnership with HHSA BHD, EDCOE plans to use this funding to primarily provide staff to operate the MHSSA program, with the primary goals expected to: a) expand 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) provide professional development for staff at participating schools and program staff to create positive social-emotional school environments and expand capacity at schools for addressing students’ mental health needs; and c) build upon mental health services currently existing in the County by partnering with EDCOE to fill in some existing gaps and help eliminate barriers for youth seeking or accessing mental health services.
The gaps this program is designed to address within the County are: 1) the lack of a systematic process for identifying students who are struggling with mental health issues; 2) the lack of access to services for students whose mental health needs are outside of the HHSA BHD’s scope; 3) support for students and families on how to navigate the mental health services that are available and follow-through to help students and their families to access mental health services; 4) gaps in professional development on how to identify and address students’ mental health needs in a school context; and 5) having adequate staff to coordinate and provide services for school-aged youth who need them.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve this Funding Out Agreement, HHSA would be required to return the unspent MHSSA grant funds to the MHSOAC as the funds cannot be transferred to any other program account for specific purposes other than the stated purpose of MHSSA grant.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 03/08/22, 22-0355, Mental Health Student Services Act Grant Round 2 Acceptance
2) 10/11/22, 22-1257, Mental Health Student Services Act Grant Round 3 Acceptance
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Approved by County Counsel and Risk Management. The Auditor-Controller was notified per Board Policy B-12.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
State funded MHSSA funds do not have a match requirement. There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agenda Item. Sufficient appropriations were included in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget and will be included in future budgets for the term of the Agreement.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Clerk of the Board to obtain signature of Chair on Funding Out Agreement 6514; and
2) Clerk of the Board to return one (1) fully executed Agreement to HHSA Contracts Unit via email to hhsa-contracts@edcgov.us
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Interim Director, Health and Human Services