Subject:
Title
Agreement with BayCare Behavioral Health, Inc. for services to homeless clients of the Healthcare for the Homeless program.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approve the Agreement with BayCare Behavioral Health, Inc. (BayCare) for behavioral health assessment and brief intervention services to homeless clients served by the County’s Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) program on the Mobile Medical van and at Bayside Health Clinic.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.2 Be a facilitator, convener and purchaser of services for those in need
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and our Customers
5.1 Maximize partner relationship and public outreach
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources
Summary:
This Agreement is funded through a state grant from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and is contingent upon the approval and execution of the Community and Primary Care Services grant awarded to the County by AHCA. The funds will be available from the date of execution through the end of the State’s current fiscal year (June 30, 2016). Use of any remaining award balance beyond June requires legislative approval to carry funding forward in AHCA’s FY17 budget. Therefore, the term of the Agreement is retroactive to the effective date and will run for up to one year if funding is available. The annual amount (up to $293,140.00) represents 60% of the expected total grant amount of $485,420.00.
BayCare will provide a licensed mental health counselor at Bayside Health Clinic and will provide two master’s level behavioral health staff to co-locate at community sites served by the County’s Healthcare for the Homeless program. BayCare staff will provide immediate assessments and brief interventions to clients identified through behavioral health screening conducted by primary care staff. BayCare will refer clients requiring longer-term treatment to Directions for Living, Inc. This Agreement is contingent upon the approval and execution of the Community and Primary Care Services grant awarded to the County by AHCA.
Background Information:
Immediate access to behavioral health support has the potential to reduce non-urgent emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to the effects of untreated mental illness or substance abuse. The AHCA grant is an opportunity to pilot such an approach by providing on-site behavioral health services that are fully integrated with the primary care health services offered by the HCH program. Funding is available to serve approximately fifty (50) uninsured, low-income, homeless clients per month. In 2015, 2,241 unduplicated clients were served by the HCH program.
BayCare is one of three community partners participating in the grant. BayCare will provide staff on-site at the Bayside Health Clinic and co-located in community locations; Directions will provide additional therapists to serve longer-term needs; and the Florida Department of Health will provide an additional nurse to provide clinical care coverage in the evening and on weekends. Currently, the AHCA grant is slated to end on June 30, 2016, although it is expected that full year funding will be approved to extend the term to a full year.
Fiscal Impact:
This Agreement is for up to $293,140.00 per year. Source funds will be provided by a Community and Primary Care Services grant from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. No County match is required. A budget resolution required to recognize the unanticipated grant receipts and to increase the Human Services Department’s Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) expense budget by $485,420.00 is also before the Board for action at the March 29, 2016 meeting.
Staff Member Responsible:
Lourdes Benedict, Director, Human Services
Partners:
Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County
Directions for Living, Inc.
Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Attachments:
Agreement with BayCare Behavioral Health, Inc.
TBIN/ 211 Attachment
Data Sharing Attachment
Budget Modification Form Attachment
Insurance Requirements