To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Interim Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #24-705-77 with We Care Services for Children
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Interim Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract #24-705-77 with We Care Services for Children, a non-profit corporation, in an amount not to exceed $2,066,743, to provide Medi-Cal specialty mental health services for high risk, delayed or Seriously Emotionally Disturbed (SED) children in Central Contra Costa County, for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract will result in annual budgeted expenditures of up to $2,066,743 and will be funded 100% by Federal Medi-Cal revenues.
BACKGROUND:
The County has been contracting with We Care Services for Children, since July 1974 for their expertise in providing community based mental health services for SED children and youth. This Contract meets the social needs of the County’s population by providing mental health services to adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems to improve school performance, reduce unsafe behavioral practices, and reduce the need for out-of-home placements.
This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: Welfare and Institution 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. Health Services Personnel approved this Contract to ensure no conflicts with labor relations. Contractor currently cooperates and participates in Behavioral Health Services Department (BHSD)’s Quality Management Program which consists of quality improvement activities to improve the quality of care, services and member experience. Cooperation includes collection and evaluation of performance measurement data and participation in the organization’s clinical and service measure Quality Improvement Programs. 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.
On July 23, 2024, the Board of Supervisors approved Novation Contract #24-705-75 with We Care Services for Children, in an amount not to exceed $2,794,151, for the provision of wrap-around mental health services for high risk, delayed or SED children in Central Contra Costa County for the period from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Approval of Contract #24-705-77 will allow the Contractor to continue providing services through June 30, 2026.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, the necessary mental health services needed for patient care will not be available or will create increased wait times due to the limited number of specialty providers available within the community.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This program 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).