To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Interim Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #74-315-29 with EMBRACE
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Interim Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract #74-315-29 with EMBRACE, a non-profit corporation, in an amount not to exceed $1,815,232, to provide Medi-Cal specialty mental health services for Seriously Emotionally Disturbed (SED) children, youth, and their families for the period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract will result in annual budgeted expenditures of up to $1,815,232 and will be funded as budgeted by the department in FY 2025-26 by 100% Federal Medi-Cal.
BACKGROUND:
The Contract meets the social needs of the County by providing Medi-Cal specialty mental health services to SED children who have been discharged from a hospital or have failed in other placements. Contractor also provides a Multisystemic Behavioral and Functional Family Therapy program for adolescents who are discharged from Juvenile Hall and the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility. This Contractor has been providing these mental health services while fostering a deep understanding of the Behavioral Health Services Department organizations mission, values, and long-term objectives since September 2007.
This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: Welfare and Institution 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. Health Services Personnel approved this Contract to ensure no conflicts with labor relations. Contractor currently cooperates and participates in Behavioral Health Service Departments’ Quality Management Program which consists of quality improvement activities to improve the quality of care, services and member experience. Per Administrative Bulletin 600.3 the Department has posted a continuous Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and maintains a current qualified list of vendors at all times.
On July 23, 2024 the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #74-315-27 with EMBRACE, in an amount not to exceed $4,129,168 for the provision of Medi-Cal specialty mental health services to SED children, youth, and their families for the period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Approval of Contract #74-315-29 will allow the Contractor to continue providing Medi-Cal specialty mental health services through June 30, 2026.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, SED children and youth involved in the juvenile justice system will not have access to Contractor’s Medi-Cal specialty mental health services which may result in a reduction of services and placement in higher levels of care.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This program supports the following Board of Supervisors’ community outcomes: “Children Ready For and Succeeding in School”; “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 an increase in positive social and emotional development as measured by the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS).