Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, Health System
Carlos Morales, Director, Correctional Health Services
Subject: Agreement with Liberty Healthcare Corporation for Providing Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Services at the Maguire Correctional Facility
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with Liberty Healthcare to provide acute inpatient psychiatric services for the term of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021, in an amount not to exceed $8,868,849.
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BACKGROUND:
The acute psychiatric needs of inmates in San Mateo County have historically been met through two contracted beds at Santa Clara County. Santa Clara County ended that agreement January 2016 and since that time, inmates have been transported to Psychiatric Emergency Services at San Mateo Medical Center. On April 13, 2017 we requested and received funding to expand the Behavioral Health Pods and to implement a solution to meet the needs of inmates who have acute and severe psychiatric illnesses.
An acute inpatient psychiatric unit inside the jail will allow inmates in need of involuntary psychiatric care to be evaluated and treated onsite. Inmates who require involuntary psychiatric treatment will be given bed priority. Additional beds will be filled with inmates transitioning to a sub-acute level of psychiatric care such as inmates who no longer meet the criteria for involuntary treatment but still too unstable to be housed in the general population. Once an inmate stabilizes to a point where a less intensive setting is appropriate, he or she will be discharged to a less intense level of care, such as the Behavioral Health Pod.
An RFP process was conducted and the selection committee agreed that Liberty Healthcare is best qualified to treat this high risk population with specialized treatment needs.
DISCUSSION:
Liberty Healthcare has direct experience implementing and operating multiple jail-based psychiatric forensic units and correctional mental health services for four different California county sheriffs’ departments and the California Department of State Hospitals. They also have ample experience in providing acute inpatient psychiatric services for adult detainees on both voluntary and involuntary treatment statuses, including the management of acute psychiatric units designed under the Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act.
Under this agreement, Liberty Healthcare will receive inmates admitted based on both voluntary and involuntary psychiatric treatment statuses. The treatment will focus on psychiatric stabilization with a targeted emphasis on treatment efforts that enable the safe and appropriate discharge of inmates as soon as clinically indicated. Liberty’s nurses will be responsible for dispensing and administering medications and for conducting all legal proceedings required by the State of California to run an LPS unit. For inmates who have concurrent medical problems, Liberty’s staff will work closely with CHS to ensure prompt consultation and referral between medical and mental health providers and facilitate the coordination of mental health care for individuals with complicating medical issues.
The agreement and resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form.
Approval of this amendment contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Collaborative and Healthy Community by responsively providing mental health continuum of care services to those in correctional facilities. It is anticipated that the number of inmates who received treatment in the LPS unit and discharged within 21 days will be increased to 60% and 6 inmates, respectively.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2018-19 Estimated |
FY 2019-20 Projected |
|
Number of inmates who received treatment in the LPS unit and discharged within 21 days. |
50% |
60% |
|
|
5 inmates |
6 inmates |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement is July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021. The amount of the agreement is not to exceed $8,868,849. General funds for the acute psychiatric services agreement have been included in the FY 2018-19 recommended budget, and will be included in future budget years. This contract is funded from savings from the termination of the Santa Clara County Contract and Net County Cost that was added for this purpose in the current budget. There is no increase in Net County Cost for this contract.
ATTACHMENT:
RFP Matrix