To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Payment for Services Provided by Mt. Diablo Unified School District
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Auditor-Controller, or designee, to pay an amount not to exceed $6,158 to Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD), for providing school-based mental health and crisis intervention services to students and families at Mt. Diablo Unified School District schools during the period from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in expenditures up to $6,158 and will be funded by Intergovernmental Revenue funds encumbered under Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 County Interagency Agreement #29-513-27.
BACKGROUND:
Contra Costa Behavioral Health (CCBH) and MDUSD operate a collaborative school-based mental health program at MDUSD schools. County engages with MDUSD under contract #74-371 to provide mental health services at various MDUSD locations. As part of the collaborative, County also engages with Fred Finch Youth Center (Fred Finch) under contract #24-928 to provide school-wide mental health services to agency designated students and their families. The collaborative agreement provides for MDUSD to subcontract school-based services with Fred Finch for students enrolled in special education and regular education programs at various MDUSD campuses. Fred Finch is a community-based organization, providing schoolwide mental health services.
In addition to the services MDUSD subcontracted to Fred Finch through contract #24-928, MDUSD also reimburses Fred Finch an amount not to exceed $20,000 under the County Interagency Agreement #29-513 to expand services to a limited population of non-Medi-Cal covered students who are not eligible for Medi-Cal benefits, paid from MDUSD to Fred Finch through contract #74-707. Through incoming funds agreement #29-513, MDUSD funds a part-time CCBH program manager and a part-time CCBH program supervisor, in addition to the $20,000 for non-Medi-Cal eligible students serviced by Fred Finch.
Three newly certified school campus sites were added to the Fred Finch contract #24-928 service repertoire during the fiscal year that were not added to the MDUSD incoming funds agreement #29-513. While there is sufficient funding encumbered under contract #29-513, the new campus sites were not included in the contract verbiage, and therefore cannot be included in the invoice for MDUSD agreement #29-513 that will reimburse the Fred Finch contract #74-707.
Approval of this action will provide supplemental payment for school campuses (Concord High, Rio Vista Elementary, and Ygnacio Valley Elementary) that were not added to the MDUSD agreement #29-513 prior to the end of the FY 2024-25. This will be rectified for the subsequent fiscal year contract.
The vendor is entitled to payment for the reasonable value of its services under the equitable relief theory of quantum meruit. That theory provides that where a vendor has been asked to provide services without a valid contract, and the vendor does so to the benefit of the county, the vendor is entitled to recover the reasonable value of those services. As such, the Department recommends that the Board authorize the Auditor-Controller to issue a one-time payment not to exceed $6,158 payable to Mt. Diablo Unified School District.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to approve this payment will cause the vendor to not be fully reimbursed for a significant amount of school-based services provided to non-Medi-Cal covered students during FY 2024-25.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
The recommendation supports following children's outcome: Children Ready for and Succeeding in School.