To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract Amendment/Extension #74-495-18 with Berkeley Youth Alternatives
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract Amendment/Extension #74-495-18 with Berkeley Youth Alternatives, a non-profit corporation, effective April 1, 2026, to amend Contract #74-495-17, to increase the payment limit by $89,865, from $120,000 to a new payment limit of $209,865, and to extend the termination date from June 30, 2026 to December 31, 2026, for additional school-based mental health services for Seriously Emotionally Disturbed (SED) children and their families in Contra Costa County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract Amendment/Extension will result in additional expenditures of up to $89,865 and will be funded 100% by Federal Medi-Cal revenues. (Rate increase)
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the social needs of the county’s population by providing school and community based mental health services, including assessments; individual, group and family therapy; Intensive Care Coordination/Child and Family Teams (ICC-CFT) services; case management; outreach; and crisis intervention services for SED children and their families. The Behavioral Health Services Department has been contracting with Berkeley Youth Alternatives since July 2015.
This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: Welfare and Institutions Code, § 5600 et seq. (The Bronzan McCorquodale Act); California Code of Regulations (“CCR”), Title 9, § 523 et seq. (Community Mental Health Services) and California Government Code §§ 26227 and 31000. This Contract was approved by Health Services Personnel to ensure there is no conflict with labor relations. The Behavioral Health’s Quality Management, Utilization Management and Contract Monitor Staff meet on a regular basis to ensure monitoring and performance measures in the Contract are upheld. Per Administrative Bulletin 600.3 the Department has posted a continuous Request for Qualifications and maintains a current qualified list of vendors at all times.
In July 2025, the Purchasing Services Manager approved and executed Contract #74-495-17 with Berkeley Youth Alternatives, in an amount not to exceed $120,000, for the provision of school-based mental health services for SED children and their families in Contra Costa County, for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
Approval of Contract Amendment/Extension #74-495-18 will allow the Contractor to continue to provide school-based mental health services through December 31, 2026.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, SED children and their families will have reduced access to mental health treatment services possibly resulting in higher levels of care and placement.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This Contract supports the following Board of Supervisors’ community outcomes: “Children Ready For and Succeeding in School”; “Families that are Safe, Stable, and Nurturing”; and “Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families”. Expected program outcomes include an increase in positive social and emotional development as measured by the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) and placement at discharge to a lower level of care.