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Health Services Department, Mental Health Division, recommending the Board authorize the Chair to sign Agreement 426-S1011 with Foothill Indian Education Alliance in the amount of $181,450 for the term November 1, 2010 through January 31, 2012 to provide Cultural Specialists from the Native American community to conduct the Wennem Wadati (A Native Path To Healing) program, a culturally-specific intervention strategy to address gaps in service, health disparities, and the effects of traumatic stress in the local American Indian community.
FUNDING: State Mental Health Services Act (MHSA).
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BUDGET SUMMARY: |
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Total Estimated Cost |
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$181,450 |
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Funding |
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Budgeted |
$181,450 |
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New Funding |
$ |
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Savings |
$ |
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Other |
$ |
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Total Funding Available |
$181,450 |
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Change To Net County Cost |
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$0 |
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost: The not-to-exceed amount of this Agreement is $181,450. There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agreement. Funding for this agreement is included in the department's FY 10/11 budget.
Compensation for Services: Payments will be made to Contractor based upon monthly invoicing at specified billing rates for actual services performed and documented per contract requirements. Services and rates are detailed in Exhibit H of the contract.
Contract Termination: This Agreement includes the County's standard Fiscal Considerations termination language, as well as a provision for the County to terminate the Agreement without cause with seven (7) calendar days written notice.
Reason for Recommendation: On September 28, 2010 the Board approved the Fiscal Year 2010/11 Mental Health Services Act Community Services and Supports, Prevention and Early Intervention, and Workforce Education and Training Plan Updates (Item 5, Legistar File 10-0963). One of the programs identified in the County's approved Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Plan is the Wennem Wadati program, designed to address health disparities and culturally specific services for Native American communities. The Board approved PEI Plan specifically calls for the Foothill Indian Education Alliance (serving as the fiscal agent) to provide services through the Native American Resource Collaborative (NARC). This Collaborative is comprised of representatives from four local agencies and represents members of the local American Indian community who are also service providers and, therefore, well aware of gaps in service, health disparities, and the effects of traumatic stress within the home and community at large. The Wennem Wadati program will use specific culturally-based intervention on multiple levels and includes a process for agencies to refer American Indian clients into the program as a result of the agency collaborative structure.
Through the proposed Agreement, the Wennem Wadati program applies a combination of mental health early intervention strategies, traditional cultural teachings, and crisis intervention support for youth within the public school system. Specifically, this program will:
· Provide outreach to American Indian youth by inviting their participation in traditional talking circles and other youth activities as prevention/intervention strategies;
· Provide outreach to American Indian families to participate in monthly traditional gatherings designed to spread cultural knowledge and family preservation; and
· Provide access to an American Indian mental health specialist who will be available via answering service to respond to school sites in situations where American Indian students are experiencing a mental health crisis.
This program leverages staff resources of the collaborative agencies, access to local community cultural presenters, and use of the Foothill Indian Education Alliance facility for activities and events. As such, this program represents a community-based intervention strategy that is fully embedded in an existing community collaborative.
The goal of the Wennem Wadati program is to reduce barriers to mental health care access, thereby decreasing the health disparities experienced by the American Indian population on the Western Slope. This goal is accomplished by use of cultural peer outreach, as well as prevention and early intervention strategies to effectively serve the American Indian community.
Action to be taken following Board approval:
1. Chair to sign three (3) original Agreements.
2. Board Clerk's Office to return two (2) original Agreements to the Health Services Department, Mental Health Division.
3. Mental Health Division to distribute as appropriate.
Contact: Neda West, Health Services Department
Concurrences: This Agreement has been approved by County Counsel and Risk Management and a copy is on file in the Board Clerk's Office.