Agenda Item
ASR
Control 22-000841 |
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MEETING
DATE: |
05/23/23 |
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legal entity taking action: |
Board
of Supervisors |
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board of supervisors district(s): |
All
Districts |
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SUBMITTING Agency/Department: |
Health
Care Agency (Approved) |
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Department contact person(s): |
Annette
Mugrditchian (714) 834-5026 |
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Veronica
Kelley (714) 834-7024 |
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Subject: Renewal of Contract for Warmline
Services
ceo CONCUR |
County Counsel Review |
Clerk of the Board |
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Concur |
Approved
Agreement to Form |
Discussion |
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3
Votes Board Majority |
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Budgeted: N/A |
Current Year
Cost: N/A |
Annual Cost: FY 2023-24: $12,000,000 |
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Staffing Impact: |
No |
# of Positions: |
Sole Source: Yes |
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Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A
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Prior Board Action: 6/22/2021 #44, 6/2/2020 #15 |
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RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
1. |
Approve Amendment No. 7 to renew the
Contract with NAMI Orange County for provision of Warmline Services for the
term of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025, for an amount not to exceed
$24,000,000 for a revised cumulative Contract total amount not to exceed
$28,374,814. |
2. |
Authorize the County Procurement Officer
or Deputized designee to execute Amendment No. 7 to the Contract with NAMI
Orange County as referenced in the Recommended Action above. |
SUMMARY:
Approval of Amendment No. 7 to
renew the Contract with NAMI Orange County for Warmline Services will ensure
toll free 24-hour, seven days a week on-demand peer based non-crisis telephone,
live chat and texting service is available to any Orange County resident
needing behavioral health support.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
On June 2, 2020, your Honorable
Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the Contract with NAMI Orange County
(NAMI) for provision of Warmline Services (Warmline) and all other Amendments
were executed under Deputy Purchasing Agent delegated authority. The Orange
County Preference Policy is not applicable to this Amendment.
Prior
Board Actions
Board Date |
Contract/Amendment |
Action |
Term |
June 2, 2020 |
Contract |
Board
Approved Contract |
July
1, 2020 – June 30, 2023 |
June
22, 2021 |
Amendment No. 4 |
Board
Approved Contract |
July
1, 2021 – June 30, 2023 |
The proposed Amendment will allow
the Warmline services to transform its present 24-hour telephone operations
including voicemail function with callback options into a 24-hour call
center-styled on-demand operation for the term of July 1, 2023, through June
30, 2025. The proposed Amendment will increase funds by $10,551,335 with an
amount not to exceed $12 million per fiscal year, for a revised cumulative
contract total amount not to exceed $28,374,814. This increase was approved for
FY 2023-25 in the Annual Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) Plan Update for FY
2022-23. Continuation of the Warmline as an on-demand operation will improve
the existing call response time and provide access to on-demand emotional
support for residents of Orange County.
Scope
of Services
The Warmline is a peer-based,
toll-free, 7 days a week (24/7) non-crisis, confidential telephone, live chat
and texting service available to any Orange County resident needing behavioral
health support. The goal of the Warmline is to provide timely emotional support
to individuals who are experiencing grief, sadness, anxiety, anger, fear or
loneliness and to reach those who are hesitant to seek behavioral health
services due to stigma or other social factors.
NAMI has seen a steady increase in demand
for its Warmline services over the past few years. Since FY 2020-21, when the
Warmline was made into a 24/7 operation, the call volume has increased at a
steady 20 percent or more per year and during these last two years in
particular, the program’s infrastructure has largely outgrown its capacity to
meet this demand. The proposed Amendment will enhance the Warmline services to
meet comprehensive 24/7 program needs to include an “on demand” access to
services via telephone, chat and text and eliminate the voicemail feature. The
provider will make technological enhancements by upgrading the present phone
system to an on-demand call operation, that will include the automation of call
routing, remote coverage, integration of the phone system with data collection,
and 24-hour managed Internet Technological (IT) solutions. The proposed funding
will cover dedicated bilingual Vietnamese and Spanish language capacity of the
24/7 on-demand call center operation, as well as expand its outreach to these
ethnic communities, through a subcontract with Abrazar for Spanish language
staffing and with the Warner Wellness Center for Vietnamese language staffing,
respectively. Additionally, it will increase overall program staffing including
bilingual staffing coverage for Farsi and Korean languages as well.
The Warmline utilizes peer-based bilingual
staff and volunteers providing services in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and
Farsi as well as the language line providing assistance in other languages as
needed. The Warmline is confidential and anonymous, and the availability of
chat and text support provides callers with emotional support, including to
those who are hearing impaired. Services are provided by staff or volunteers
with similar lived experience as the caller and are trained in evidence-based
practices to provide non-judgmental support. All incoming calls are screened
for imminent safety concerns and, if needed, callers are immediately linked to
the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Warmline is widely publicized via
outreach in the community.
Performance
Outcomes
Table
1: Total Warmline Calls
|
FY 2020-21 |
FY 2021-22 |
FY 2022-23 July through April |
Total call
volume |
106,176 |
127,851 |
100,721 |
The number of calls to the Warmline
have been increasing steadily over time. At its inception, the NAMI OC
volunteer Support Line operators received an average of 140 calls per month
from consumers and family members. In comparison, in FY 2020-21, the program
received an average of over 7,200 calls/chats/texts a month. The call volume
continues to trend upward. In FY 2021-22 the call volume per month averaged
over 10,000 calls and most recent data from the current fiscal year indicates
that calls are averaging to over 11,000 per month.
Performance outcomes for the
proposed Amendment are consistent with current year goals and will demonstrate
an improvement in one or more mood states as measured by the Profile of Mood
States Scale, a validated and published instrument that measures the change in
mood over the course of the call. Outcomes data is analyzed at the end of each
fiscal year. It should be noted that the program reports that the intensity of
emotions expressed by callers has been heightened, and the callers’ presenting
problems, have required additional support to address the current stressors
impacted by current socioeconomic issues.
Table
2: Outcomes
Goal |
Improvement in FY 2020-21 |
Improvement in FY 2021-22 |
The majority of
the participants will demonstrate an improvement in one or more mood states
as measured by the Profile of Mood States scale |
87% |
86% |
The performance outcome results
indicate that the Warmline Services continue to benefit the community by providing
emotional support to callers. The proposed Amendment continues to be a Sole
Source. Currently, there is no other Warmline service of this comprehensive
nature with bilingual capability available in California and no other
identified provider of this type of peer-to-peer, consumer run, evidence-based
recovery-oriented type of services in Southern California. During the last
solicitation for these services in February 2015, a Request for Proposals (RFP)
for Warmline Services resulted in only one proposal received from NAMI that was
deemed responsive by the evaluation committee. NAMI is recognized as the
pioneer of the Warmline services in California. Initially created as a
volunteer Support Line service to provide emotional support and connect callers
to community resources in Orange County more than 15 years ago, the Warmline
was formally launched in October of 2010, through an Agreement with the Health
Care Agency to address the growing need for such a service. NAMI is recognized
as the expert in this service, frequently providing consultation to other
counties as well as the State of California to assist them with setting up
their own Warmline services.
The Contractor's performance has been
confirmed as satisfactory. The Health Care Agency (HCA) has verified there are
no concerns that must be addressed with respect to Contractor's ownership/name,
litigation status or conflicts with County interests.
The proposed Amendment with NAMI
for Warmline Services will include subcontractors. See Attachment B for
subcontractor information and Contract Summary Form.
HCA requests that the Board approve
Amendment No. 7 to the Contract for provision of Warmline Services with NAMI,
as referenced in the Recommended Actions.
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
Appropriations for this Contract
will be included in Budget Control 042 FY 2023-24 Budget and will be included
in the budgeting process for future years.
The Contracts include provision
allowing HCA to terminate the Contract, reduce the level of services, and/or
renegotiate the levels of services provided, as necessary. This includes a
notice that allows HCA adequate time to transition or terminate services to
participants, if necessary.
STAFFING
IMPACT:
N/A
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment
A – Amendment No. 7 to Contract MA-042-20011424 for Warmline Services with NAMI
Orange County
Attachment B - Contract Summary Form
Attachment C - Redline Version to Attachment A