|
Agenda Item
ASR
Control 23-000331 |
||
|
MEETING
DATE: |
12/05/23 |
|
|
legal entity taking action: |
Board
of Supervisors |
|
|
board of supervisors district(s): |
All
Districts |
|
|
SUBMITTING Agency/Department: |
Health
Care Agency (Approved) |
|
|
Department contact person(s): |
Regina
Chinsio-Kwong (714) 834-2729 |
|
|
|
Debra
Baetz (714) 834-2830 |
|
Subject: Approve
Contracts for Health Promotion for Public Health Services
|
ceo CONCUR |
County Counsel Review |
Clerk of the
Board |
||||||||
|
Concur |
Approved Agreement to Form |
Discussion |
||||||||
|
|
|
3 Votes Board Majority |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Budgeted: Yes |
Current
Year Cost: $3,000,000 |
Annual
Cost: FY 2024-25 $4,000,000 |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Staffing
Impact:
|
No |
#
of Positions: |
Sole
Source: No |
|||||||
|
Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A
|
||||||||||
|
Prior Board Action: N/A |
||||||||||
RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
|
1. |
Approve the selection of and Contract
with Abrazar, Inc. for provision of Health Promotion for Public Health
Services for the term January 8, 2024, through June 30, 2025, in an amount
not to exceed $1,838,200, renewable for three additional one-year terms. |
|
2. |
Approve the selection of and Contract
with Latino Center for Prevention & Action in Health and Welfare dba
Latino Health Access for provision of Health Promotion for Public Health
Services for the term January 8, 2024, through June 30, 2025, in an amount
not to exceed $2,050,300, renewable for three additional one-year terms. |
|
3. |
Approve the selection of and Contract
with Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies for provision of Health
Promotion for Public Health Services for the term January 8, 2024, through
June 30, 2025, in an amount not to exceed $1,979,600, renewable for three
additional one-year terms. |
|
4. |
Approve the selection of and Contract
with National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – Orange County dba
Partners4Wellness for provision of Health Promotion for Public Health
Services for the term January 8, 2024, through June 30, 2025, for an amount
not to exceed $1,131,900, renewable for three additional one-year terms. |
|
5. |
Authorize the County Procurement Officer
or Deputized designee to execute Contracts with Abrazar, Inc., Latino Center
for Prevention & Action in Health and Welfare dba Latino Health Access,
Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies and National Council on
Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – Orange County dba Partners4Wellness as
referenced in the Recommended Actions above. |
SUMMARY:
Approval of the selection of and Contracts with
Abrazar, Inc., Latino Center for Prevention & Action in Health and Welfare
dba Latino Health Access, Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies and
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – Orange County dba
Partners4Wellness will support the Health Care Agency’s strategy to equitably
utilize public health resources by maintaining ongoing healthcare messaging and
promotion and offering outreach and engagement services to communities in
Orange County.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
As Orange County and the HCA address the co-occurrence
of communicable, chronic, and vaccine preventable diseases such as flu, heart
disease, diabetes and monkeypox, the need for robust systems providing credible
information and service linkage is essential.
Significant health
disparities exist in Orange County, particularly affecting communities of color
and those with fewer resources [Healthy Places Index, 2022; California
Department of Education, 2018-19; CDC WONDER, 2018-20; California Health
Interview Survey, 2019-2021]. These disparities are influenced by social
determinants of health and language barriers [US Census Bureau, 2016-20].
Community-based organizations (CBOs) are well-positioned to address these
issues due to their community understanding, language proficiency, and cultural
competence. Supported by data, a contract with CBOs for public health outreach
in Orange County is expected to improve our reach with addressing health
threats and improving awareness and education among vulnerable populations.
On March 22, 2023,
the Health Care Agency (HCA) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the
County’s online bidding system to solicit proposals from qualified providers
for Health Promotion for Public Health Services. The RFP included the County’s
intent to award contracts to multiple qualified proponents whose proposal was
determined to be the most responsive to the requirements of the RFP. HCA
received five proposals by the deadline of April 19, 2023, from Abrazar, Inc.
(Abrazar), Latino Center for Prevention & Action in Health and Welfare dba
Latino Health Access (LHA), Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies
(MECCA), Mercy Health and National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence –
Orange County dba Partners4Wellness (Partners4Wellness) Based upon
pre-established rating criteria for scoring Abrazar, LHA, MECCA, and
Partners4Wellness are being recommended for contract award. The decision to not
choose the fifth provider was based on a comprehensive evaluation of their
proposal. The provider scored significantly lower compared to other contenders
in key areas of the evaluation. No protest or objection was received during the
protest period from any of the other RFP respondents. The Orange County
Preference Policy is not applicable to these contracts. HCA plans to issue a
solicitation to continue services at conclusion of the proposed contract term.
Proposal
Evaluation Process
A standard evaluation panel, comprised of one HCA
manager and two non-HCA County managers with subject matter expertise, was
recruited to evaluate proposals received. Evaluation panel members
independently rated the proposals using the following criteria and possible
maximum points:
|
Evaluation
Criteria |
Maximum
Points |
|
Experience and Qualifications |
15 points |
|
Services |
25 points |
|
Performance Objectives |
20 points |
|
Staffing |
15 points |
|
Facility |
5 points |
|
Budget |
10 points |
|
Interview |
10 points |
|
Total
Maximum Points: |
100 |
|
Proposer |
Average
Score |
|
Abrazar |
72.76 |
|
MECCA |
71.07 |
|
LHA |
65.70 |
|
Partners4Wellness |
63.08 |
|
Mercy Health |
42.16 |
The evaluation
panel deemed the proposals submitted by Abrazar, LHA, MECCA and
Partners4Wellness to be the most responsive based on their experience and
services to be provided. See Attachment E for RFP scoring.
Scope of Services
The CBO contracts
are structured as a hybrid model. Public health messaging and health promotion
services will be based on actual costs, while public health outreach, referral,
and linkage to services will be fee-for-service. This arrangement aims to
optimize resource allocation and cost-effectiveness in delivering comprehensive
health services to the community.
The contractors
are specifically requested to utilize channels such as presentations,
door-to-door engagement, social media outreach, or participation in community
events to distribute PHS messaging, educational, and health promotion
materials, including flyers and brochures. To track the effectiveness of the
contract, PHS will implement the following measures:
|
1. |
The contractors will indicate the
referral source on the referral |
|
2. |
PHS will monitor click-through rates,
impressions, reach, views and engagement. |
|
3. |
PHS will review historical data on
previous outreach or service initiatives to analyze the effectiveness of this
contract. |
|
4. |
The contractors will employ validated
tools and conduct surveys to assess changes in participants knowledge,
attitudes, behaviors, and practices over time. |
|
5. |
The contractors will maintain records of
services rendered. |
1. Public Health Messaging and Health
Promotion
The selected
contractors are expected to engage the community in services and programs aimed
at improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Additionally, they
will collaborate in the co-development, provision and dissemination of
culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate translation materials and
services for HCA initiatives. This includes addressing the needs of monolingual
non-English speakers and responding to their inquiries on public health topics
in languages commonly spoken in Orange County such as Spanish, Vietnamese,
Korean, Chinese, Arabic and Farsi. Furthermore, contractors will work to
enhance community access to public health information and resources while
promoting health literacy through a diverse range of outreach and engagement
events. Lastly, they are tasked with effectively disseminating the County's
public health initiatives through various messaging channels as prescribed by
HCA.
2. Public Health Outreach, Referral and
Linkage to Services
The contractors
are expected to play a multifaceted role, including providing contact
information to community members for eligible/relevant Public Health Services
(PHS) programs, distributing PHS messaging and health-promotion materials such
as flyers and brochures. They will also support community members in accessing
resources, offering troubleshooting and translation support for online resource
registration. Furthermore, contractors will serve as HCA resource referral
centers and provide counseling and peer support services. They will facilitate
translation and interpretation services, host health education workshops and
organize healthcare promotion events and engagements aligned with Agency
initiatives. An important requirement is ensuring that all health education and
outreach events, activities and materials include referral information for PHS
programs, creating a seamless flow of information and access to essential
services.
Key Performance Indicators
A set of
appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been negotiated with each of
the four contractors. The anticipated KPIs for each contractor will demonstrate
significant variations. These variations can be attributed to the unique
funding allocations, individually negotiated rates, capacity and budget
constraints specific to each provider. Each contractor will function within its
own unique financial framework, adapting their strategies and expected outcomes
to align with the available resources aimed at advancing the goals of promoting
public health messaging, health promotion, outreach and engagement. Given the
integral relationship between these contracts and translation and language
access resources, PHS ensures the precision and quality of content translated
into threshold languages, aligned with the County’s Language Access Policy,
dated 12/11/2020, by mandating PHS’s review and approval of all materials.
Furthermore, PHS requires contractors to provide quarterly reports on the
translation and interpretation services they have rendered. These reports must
detail the languages utilized and the locations where services were provided,
thereby fostering the dissemination of accurate information across diverse
communities.
KPIs (see attached
Contracts, Exhibit A, Paragraph V. SERVICES for metrics per provider):
|
1. |
Resource
Referral Centers: |
|
• |
Maintain a
comprehensive record of individuals assessed for necessary services. |
|
• |
Track referrals
made, and connections established with HCA programs and community healthcare/service providers. |
|
• |
Record key details, including the type
of need, support provided, referred services, zip codes of individuals'
cities, assessment/referral date and time, assessor's name, and contact
information of referred service providers. |
|
• |
Document
referral outcomes, individuals' feedback, and any identified barriers to
service access. |
|
2. |
Counseling and Peer Support Services: |
|
• |
Keep records of counseling and peer
support, noting concerns, type of support, referred services, zip codes,
assessment/referral details, assessor's name, and contact information of
referred service providers. |
|
• |
Include outcomes, individuals' feedback,
and identified barriers. |
|
• |
Conduct
HCA-approved customer satisfaction surveys, assessing service quality,
accessibility, effectiveness, comfort, safety, and overall satisfaction. |
|
3. |
Health Education Workshops: |
|
• |
Implement behavior change interventions
targeting key health behaviors. |
|
• |
Monitor the reach and participation of
workshops. |
|
• |
Use validated
tools and surveys to assess changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes,
behaviors, and practices over time. |
|
4. |
Dissemination of Public Health
Initiatives: |
|
• |
Collaborate with community partners to
implement health improvement initiatives, including immunization outreach and
education. |
|
• |
Evaluate the impact of initiatives on
community health indicators. |
|
• |
Submit quarterly
reports detailing activities and outcomes, including metrics such as
impressions, reach, views, link clicks, and engagement. |
|
5. |
Number of
one-on-one/door-to-door interactions. |
|
6. |
Number of
small-targeted group events that are geared to a specific group with specific
resources or information available. |
|
7. |
Number of large
community group events related to vulnerable populations and communities
experiencing inequity – open to all community members with a variety of
services available. |
|
8. |
Number of small
group health education session with a listed priority population that covers
a relevant or emerging public health topic, agency program or initiative for
each event – minimum of 5 participants, up to 19 participants. |
|
9. |
Number of large
group health education sessions with a listed priority population that covers
a relevant or emerging public health topic, agency program or initiative for
each event – minimum of 20 or more participants. |
|
10. |
Number of
Individuals assessed for service and/or resource need. |
|
11. |
Number of
Individuals referred to services and/or resources |
|
12. |
Number of
Individuals linked to services and/or resources. |
HCA staff have
conducted due diligence and Reference Checks were satisfactory and completed
with the following organizations:
|
Abrazar |
Orange County
United Way, California Community Foundation, Asian American Senior Citizens
Service Center |
|
LHA |
AltaMed Health
Services Corporation, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Orange County
Community Foundation |
|
MECCA |
Community Health
Initiative of Orange County, 2-1-1 Orange County, Be Well Orange County |
|
Partners4Wellness |
New
Alternatives, Inc., COA-Community Outreach Alliance, Behavioral Health
Justice Intervention Services |
The Contractors'
performance has been confirmed as satisfactory. HCA staff has verified there
are no concerns that must be addressed with respect to ownership/name,
litigation status or conflicts with County interest.
The proposed
Contracts include subcontractors. See Attachment F for information regarding
subcontractors and Contract Summary Forms.
HCA requests your
Honorable Board of Supervisors approve the selection of and Contracts with
Abrazar, LHA, MECCA and Partners4Wellness for provision of Health Promotion for
Public Health Services, as referenced in the Recommended Actions.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Appropriations for
these Contracts are included in the Budget Control 042 FY 2023-24 Budget and
will be included in the budgeting process for future years.
Should services need to be reduced or
terminated due to lack of funding, these Contracts contain language that allows
HCA to give 30 days’ notice to either terminate or renegotiate the level of
services provided. The notice will allow
HCA adequate time to transition or terminate services to clients, if necessary.
STAFFING IMPACT:
N/A
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A - Contract
MA-042-24010457 for Health Promotion for Public Health Services with Abrazar,
Inc.
Attachment B - Contract MA-042-24010298 for Health Promotion for Public Health
Services with Latino Center for Prevention & Action in Health and Welfare
dba Latino Health Access
Attachment C - Contract MA-042-24010456 for Health Promotion for Public Health
Services with Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies
Attachment D - Contract MA-042-24010458 for Health Promotion for Public Health
Services with National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – Orange
County dba Partners4Wellness
Attachment E – Individual Score Sheets with RFP Questions
Attachment F - Contract Summary Forms