To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #74-737 with We Care Services for Children
☒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 #74-737 with We Care Services for Children, a non-profit corporation, in an amount not to exceed $406,817, to provide Measure X-funded mental health services to support preschool aged children up to five (5) years of age and their families in Contra Costa County for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract will result in annual expenditures of up to $406,817 for FY 2025-26 and will be funded 100% by Mental Health Measure X Funds.
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the social needs of the County’s population by providing Measure X-funded mental health services to vulnerable populations including children ages zero to five (0 to 5) residing in Contra Costa County. Measure X is a half-cent Countywide sales tax that the Measure X Community Advisory Board (MXCAB) recommended to the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors placed the sales tax proposal on the November 2020 ballot before voters with the goal of providing local funds for local priorities. The tax was passed on November 3, 2020, and generates approximately $120 million each year to support a variety of County mental health services. This Contract has direct impact on the health and safety of our community.
Contractor’s services include, but are not limited, to providing mental health services for preschool children ages (0 to 5) and their families through the Birth to Six (BTS) collaborative program and the preschool mental health consultation (PMHC) program services. This Contractor is a new Measure X-funded recipient and has provided mental health services for the County since July 1997. This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: 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. Following a Request for Proposal (RFP), this Contract was awarded to We Care Services for Children by Public Works on April 8, 2025.
Approval of new Contract #74-737 will allow the Contractor to provide Measure X-funded mental health services through June 30, 2026. Contract delay was due to extended contract negotiations between Contractor and Division.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Measure X-funded mental health services Contract is not approved, County residents will not have access to Contractor’s program services.
CHILDREN’s IMPACT STATEMENT:
This Measure X-funded mental health services program supports the following Board of Supervisors’ community outcomes: “Children Ready for and Succeeding in School”. Expected program outcomes include an increase in positive social and emotional development as measured by the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS).