To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #74-448-15 with Edward Lau, M.D.
☒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 #74-448-15 with Edward Lau, M.D., an individual, in an amount not to exceed $375,000, to provide outpatient psychiatric care services for children and adolescents with mental illness in East Contra Costa County, for the period September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract will result in budgeted annual expenditures of up to $375,000 and will be funded 50% by Mental Health Realignment and 50% Federal Medi-Cal revenues.
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the social needs of County’s population by providing psychiatric services including, but not limited to diagnosing, counseling, evaluating, medication management and providing medical and psychiatric therapeutic treatment for children and adolescents with mental illness in East Contra Costa County. This Contractor has been providing outpatient psychiatric care services since September 1, 2012.
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. 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. This Contract was approved by Health Services Personnel to ensure there is no conflict with labor relations. Per Administrative Bulletin 600.3 the Contractor provides physician services and is exempt from solicitation requirements.
On September 10, 2024, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #74-448-14 with Edward Lau, M.D., in an amount not to exceed $355,000 to provide outpatient psychiatric care for children and adolescents with mental illness in East Costa County for the period from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025.
Approval of Contract #74-448-15 will allow the Contractor to continue providing psychiatric services through August 31, 2026.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, the necessary psychiatric 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 Contract supports the following Board of Supervisors’ community outcomes: “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 increases in social connectedness, communication skills, parenting skills, and knowledge of the human service system in Contra Costa County.