To: Board of Supervisors
From: Beth Ward, Animal Services Director
Report Title: Contract with The Permanente Medical Group, Inc.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Animal Services Director, or designee, to execute a contract with The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $75,000 for pre-employment medical exams for the period August 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The contract is funded 100% County General Fund
BACKGROUND:
The Contra Costa County Animal Services Department requires a medical provider with an expertise in pre-employment medical exams and the appropriate state licenses. The Department’s previous service provider ceased providing services in April 2023.
The Department is seeking a new provider to provide pre-employment medical examinations for positions that follow Peace Officers Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.). These positions include but are not limited to: Animal Services Officers, Animal Services Sergeants, Animal Services Lieutenants, Animal Technicians, and Utility Workers.
The service deliverables may include, but are not limited to:
1. Post-offer/pre-employment medical examinations
2. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)/Department of Transportation medical examinations
3. Respirator medical evaluations and respirator fit testing
4. Fitness for duty
The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., is one of California’s largest providers of occupational health and safety services, with 29 clinics throughout Northern California. Their clients include employers in a wide variety of industries, including private businesses and public sector organizations such as municipalities and departments of the state and federal government. All of their occupational health and safety services meet or exceed all applicable state and federal regulations. Contractor is uniquely positioned as a totally integrated healthcare system, which makes it a Sole Source provider. Using electronic health records, and with proper Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) releases, Contractor can access the relevant medical information for a majority of the Animal Services employees, allowing physicians to potentially identify conditions that could negatively impact the employees’/applicants’ ability to safely perform their jobs. Proper and early identification leads to lower health care costs and potentially minimizes Workers’ Compensation risks and costs, while leading to improved health and productivity of the workforce.
The contract contains modifications to the standard indemnification language which now excludes: (1) liabilities due to the sole negligence or willful misconduct of the County, its officers, agents, employees or volunteers; and (2) any liability arising as a result of an employment-related dispute (including but not limited to a lawsuit by an employee against the County for employment discrimination based on results of Contractor’s services; a lawsuit by an employee against the County alleging breach of an employment statute or regulation; etc.).
The County has been negotiating and processing the contract terms with the Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (contractor) since May 2023. The County and contractor recently agreed to the contract terms in November 2023, which was to be established in August 2023. The Animal Services Department plans to begin the contract services with the contractor December 1, 2023.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The Department will not have a contract in place to perform pre-employment medical examinations.