Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Jei Africa, Director, Behavioral Health, and Recovery Services
Subject: Amendment to the Agreement with The Social Changery, LLC for a Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Education Media Campaign
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an amendment to the agreement with The Social Changery, LLC for a youth mental health and substance use youth education media campaign, increasing the amount by $300,000 to an amount not to exceed $1,929,124, with no change to the agreement term.
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BACKGROUND:
In 2021, The Social Changery, LLC (Social Changery) was selected through a Request for Information/Quotes process to develop youth-oriented messaging, develop education materials, and conduct a media/marketing campaign in Alameda, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties to educate youth about the facts regarding cannabis use. The campaign began as the County’s Cannabis Decoded Initiative. In June 2021, Behavioral Health, and Recovery Services (BHRS) entered into an agreement with Social Changery for the term of July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, for a maximum amount not to exceed $180,000.
In July 2022, this Board approved an amendment to the agreement to add COVID-19 Education Campaign (Crushing the Curve) public health campaign services, increasing the maximum amount by $869,597 to an amount not to exceed $1,049,597 and extending the agreement by one year through June 30, 2023.
In December 2022, this Board approved an amendment to the agreement to increase the maximum amount by $579,527 to an amount not to exceed $1,629,124, with no change to the term. The amendment was needed to integrate media and social media strategies into the implementation of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
DISCUSSION:
Twenty-five percent (25%) of BHRS’s allotment from the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) is set aside for Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Prevention services. For Fiscal Year 2022-23, this allocation was $1,185,315. Community contractors use this funding for substance use education and evaluation services. It is currently expected that contractors will not be able to spend approximately $300,000 of the allocated funds by June 30, 2023. This amendment will allow AOD services to continue supporting an ongoing education campaign that has shown tremendous success in reaching youth and young adults aged 14-25 with AOD prevention and mental health promotion messages through media and social media platforms most utilized by the target population. If this amount remains unspent, it could jeopardize up to $900,000 in funding for AOD Treatment programs. In order to guard against the latter outcome, this amendment will allocate the $300,000 in expected unspent SABG funds to Social Changery so that additional substance use media can be created, completed, and spent by June 30, 2023.
Through this amendment, Social Changery will continue merging the integration of the Cannabis Decoded and Crushing the Curve social media campaigns in order to meet the evolving needs of youth in San Mateo County. The campaign will develop outreach materials that will include a collaboration with other jurisdictions across California (Sonoma, Monterey, Alameda, San Bernardino, and Contra Costa counties, City of Sacramento, and Redwood City) on the media campaign. With the additional funding, more paid placement will be conducted to increase the number of exposures to messages to support youth mental health and well-being as the youth population navigates the changes brought on by the pandemic and its impacts on their development. Information for parents will also be available so they can better support their children.
In Fall 2023, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for projects that engage community members through media and social media strategies to ensure compliance with San Mateo County’s RFP and contract processes.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County’s fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
The amendment and resolution have been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney as to form.
It is anticipated that at least 70% of program participants will report having increased knowledge of the hazards of cannabis use by youth.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2021-22 Actual |
FY 2022-23 Estimated |
|
Percentage of program participants that report having increased knowledge of the hazards of cannabis use by youth |
69% 272 program participants |
70% 400 program participants |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the amended agreement is July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023. The amount of the amended agreement is not to exceed $1,929,124 for the two-year term. This amendment increases the maximum amount of the agreement by $300,000 and is included in the BHRS 2022-23 Adopted Budget. Of this amount, it is anticipated that SABG Prime will fund the increase and is included in the FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget.