To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #77-305-4 with Scott Howard, Ed.D
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract #77-305-4 with Scott Howard, Ed.D., an individual, in an amount not to exceed $300,000, to provide Behavioral Health Treatment (BHT) including Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluations (CDE) and pre-surgical psychological and neuropsychological evaluation services for Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP) members and County recipients, for the period from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract will result in contractual service expenditures of up to $300,000 over a three-year period and will be funded 100% by Hospital Enterprise Fund II revenues.
BACKGROUND:
CCHP has an obligation to provide certain BHT including but not limited to CDE services and pre-surgical psychological and neuropsychological evaluation services for its members under the terms of their Individual and Group Health Plan membership contracts with the County. This Contractor has been providing BHT including but not limited to CDE services and pre-surgical psychological and neuropsychological evaluation services while fostering a deep understanding of the CCHP organization’s mission, values, and long-term objectives since October 1, 2020.
CCHP must also maintain network adequacy in accordance with applicable state and federal requirements, ensuring members have timely access to clinically appropriate services. The Contractor supports CCHP in meeting these obligations by providing specialized offerings that are limited within the local market, thereby helping CCHP uphold access-to-care standards and avoid delays in service delivery.
This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: California Government Code §§ 26227 and 31000; Health and Safety Code § 1451. Health Services Personnel approved this Contract to ensure no conflicts with labor relations. Contractor will cooperate with and participate in CCHP’s Quality Management Program which consists of quality improvement activities to improve the quality of care and 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. These contracted services were determined to be exempt from Administrative Bulletin 600.4 solicitation requirements by the Public Works Department’s Purchasing Division.
In September 2023, the Purchasing Services Manager approved and executed Contract #77-305-2 with Scott Howard, Ed.D., in the amount not to exceed $180,000, for the provision of BHT including CDE and pre-surgical psychological and neuropsychological evaluation services for CCHP members and County recipients, for the period October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026.
In October 2025, the Purchasing Services Manager approved and executed Contract Amendment #77-305-3 with Scott Howard, Ed.D., to include the Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) authorizing the Contractor to provide specialized care to beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal and offer care coordination and wrap-around services, with no change in the original payment limit or term.
Approval of Contract #77-305-4, will allow the Contractor to continue to provide BHT including CDE and pre-surgical psychological and neuropsychological evaluation services for CCHP members and County recipients through September 30, 2029.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, certain specialized BHT including CDE and pre-surgical psychological and neuropsychological evaluation services for CCHP members under the terms of their Individual and Group Health Plan membership contracts with the County will not be provided and services may be delayed.