Bernalillo County: Multi-Award for Behavioral Health Program Initiatives

Bernalillo County seeks to establish qualification-based Behavioral Health Professional Services administered under County’s Department of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS). DBHS expects that services be designed to address social determinants of health and the behavioral health needs of children, adolescents, transition age youth, and adults with a focus on vulnerable populations and high utilizers. Programs and services must be culturally and linguistically appropriate, care should be trauma-informed and, provided by persons qualified to serve the populations of focus and delivered in a setting that is relevant, accessible, promotes a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing and comfort for the population. The County intends to issue a multiple award for each of the following five categories listed below.

1. Crisis Services. The goal is to improve response to an individual in behavioral health crisis and link them to appropriate stabilization and recovery services while minimizing involvement of the criminal justice system. Specific Service types may include Mobile Crisis Teams, Crisis and Stabilization Services, Crisis Triage Centers; Community Engagement Teams, Transition Planning and Re-entry Resource Center. Behavioral health services may include:

• Crisis Intervention (CI) programs offer services aimed at the assessment and immediate stabilization of acute symptoms of mental illness, alcohol and other drug abuse, and emotional distress or in response to acts of domestic violence or abuse/neglect.
• Crisis Stabilization (CS) programs are organized and staffed to provide the availability of overnight residential services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a limited duration to stabilize individuals with acute psychiatric or behavioral symptoms, evaluate treatment needs, and develop plans to meet the needs of the persons served.
• Community Engagement Teams (CETs) help people and their families voluntarily cope with the effects of mental illness and substance use disorders in the comfort of their homes and communities pre and post crisis.
• Resource Re-entry Center Supportive Services (RRC). The Resource Re-entry Center is the first stop for individuals released from the Metropolitan Detention Center as they reintegrate into the community. Support services help former inmates navigate the transition from jail back into society by offering access to the services and support they may need to stabilize, stay healthy, regain self-sufficiency, and break the cycle of recidivism.
• Criminal Justice (CJ) Criminal justice programs serve special populations comprised of accused or adjudicated individuals referred from within the criminal justice system who are experiencing behavioral health needs, including alcohol or other drug use or addiction or psychiatric disabilities or disorders.

2. Community Supports. The goal is to improve behavioral health services in the community that will stabilize individuals and prevent crisis. Specific service types may include Peer Driven Drop-In Services, Peer Case Management, and Case Management for Substance Abuse Disorders; Youth Transitional Living Services, and LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) and other diversion programs. Behavioral health services may include the community support services described below.

• Assessment and Referral (AR) programs provide a variety of activities, including prescreening, screening, psychosocial assessment, determination of need, and referral to appropriate care.
• Case Management/Service Coordination (CM) programs provide goal-oriented and individualized supports focusing on improved self-sufficiency for the persons served through assessment, planning, linkage, advocacy, coordination, and monitoring activities.
• Peer Case Management (PCM) programs promote belief in the possibility of recovery, empowerment, increased self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-management of problems, and increased social networks.
• Family Peer Support (FPS) programs support parents and other primary caregivers to ensure that their voice is heard, that their preferences are incorporated into their children’s plan of care, and that their natural support systems are strengthened. A Family Peer Support Worker (FPSW) helps family’s gain knowledge, skills and confidence to effectively manage their own needs and ultimately move to more family independence.
• Intensive Case Management (ICM) is a comprehensive case management approach that consists of one single case manager who provides outreach, crisis intervention, direct counseling services, skills-building, and family consultations.
• Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a multidisciplinary team approach that assumes responsibility for directly providing acute, active, and ongoing community-based psychiatric treatment, assertive outreach, rehabilitation, and support.
• Diversion/Intervention (DVN) programs may include programs traditionally thought of as intervention that focus on changing outcomes for persons served and targeting antecedents of the problem.
• Community Integration (COI) is designed to help persons to optimize their personal, social, and vocational competency in order to live successfully in the community.
• Youth Transitional Living Services (YTLS) are a multi-purpose and systemic approach for youth and young adults (12-24 years of age) that young people in transitioning to a successful adulthood through coordinated permanency and transition planning. Often this includes youth aging out of the foster care system and other youth and young adults who are homeless or precariously housed.
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PR). Core programs in this category demonstrate a strong collaborative partnership with the persons served, the development of opportunities for personal growth, a commitment to community integration, goal-oriented and individualized supports, and the promotion of satisfaction and success in community living.
• Family Services (FS) Core programs in this field category are designed to maintain or improve the quality of life for children, adolescents, or other family members individually or in their relationships with their families, their environments, or other individuals.

3. Supportive Housing. The goal is to ensure individuals with behavioral health needs are stably housed. Specific service types may include Community Connections Supportive Housing, Single-site Permanent Supportive Housing, Youth Transitional Living; Short Term Housing, Sober Living, and Safe Houses. Behavioral health services may include the supportive housing services described below.

• Community Housing (CH) is provided in partnership with individuals. The residences in which services are provided may be owned, rented, leased or operated directly by the Behavioral Health Provider, or a third party, such as a governmental entity. They may be temporary or long term in nature.

4. Prevention, Intervention, Treatment and Harm Reduction. The goal is to prevent substance abuse and progression of behavioral health conditions through early identification, intervention, treatment and harm reduction. Specific service types may include Community Engagement Team, Education and training, Suicide Prevention, School-based Health Centers, Children’s Health Centers, and Reduction of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Behavioral health services may include the prevention, intervention, treatment and harm reduction services described below.

• Prevention (P) programs are proactive and evidence-based/evidence-informed, efforts that strive to reduce individual, family, and environmental risk factors, increase resiliency, enhance protective factors, and achieve individual and comprehensive community wellness through a team or collaborative approach.
• Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP) programs are designed to reduce the incidence and impact of suicide events and promote hope and healing in the population served.
• Mental Health (MH). Core Programs in this category are designed to provide services to people with or who are at risk for psychiatric disabilities/disorders or have other mental health needs. These programs encompass a wide variety of therapeutic settings and intervention modalities and may provide services to those with behavioral health disabilities or co-occurring disabilities; victims or perpetrators of domestic violence or abuse; persons needing treatment because of eating or sexual disorders; and/or drug, gambling, or internet addictions.
• Children and Adolescents (CA) Programs consist of an array of behavioral health services designed specifically to address the treatment needs of children and adolescents.
• Juvenile Justice (JJ) Juvenile justice programs serve special populations comprised of accused or adjudicated juveniles referred from within the juvenile justice system who are experiencing behavioral health needs including alcohol or other drug use or addiction or psychiatric disabilities or disorders. Services can be provided through courts, through probation and parole agencies, or in community-based or institutional settings.
• Integrated Behavioral Health/Primary Care (IBHPC) Integrated Behavioral Health/Primary Care programs have an identified level of medical supervision and are supported by an “any door is a good door” philosophy.
• Health Home (HH). A health home is a healthcare delivery approach that focuses on the whole person and integrates and coordinates primary care, behavioral health, other healthcare, and community and social support services.
• Detoxification/Withdrawal Management (DTX) program is a time-limited program designed to assist the persons served with the physiological and psychological effects of acute withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs.
• Outpatient Treatment (OT) programs provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services that include, but are not limited to, individual, group, and family counseling, psychiatric services, and education on wellness, recovery, and resiliency.
• Residential Treatment (RT) programs are organized and staffed to provide both general and specialized nonhospital-based interdisciplinary services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for persons with behavioral health or co-occurring needs.
• Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) programs are clearly identified as separate and distinct programs that provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The intensive outpatient program consists of a scheduled series of sessions appropriate to the person-centered plans of the persons served.
• Office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) programs are medically managed programs that provide treatment services to persons with opioid use disorders.
• Education and Training (ET) Education and training programs help to address both behavioral health and community education needs for Bernalillo County. Professional training sessions and a web based resource directory provide the skills needed to proficiently utilize new modalities and equip professionals with enhanced skills to improve the quality of life for community members.

5. Evaluation & Research. The goal is to answer questions about DBHS projects, policies and programs, particularly about their effectiveness and efficiency. Specific service types may include evaluation planning, process evaluations, outcome evaluations, impact evaluations, policy research. Evaluation services may include evaluation and research services described below.

• Program Evaluation & Research (PER). Program evaluation is a systematic study using research methods to collect and analyze data to assess how well a program is working and why. Evaluations answer specific questions about program performance and may focus on assessing program operations or results. Evaluation results may be used to assess a program’s effectiveness, identify how to improve performance, or guide resource allocation. Program evaluations can involve both quantitative and qualitative methods of social research. There are several types of research that can be conducted. Some of them include the following: Targeted Research, solicited and often rapid-cycle projects to address key gaps in knowledge and inform efforts to improve health, health equity and well-being. Policy and Systems Research, is exploratory and advanced studies seeking a deeper understanding about potential benefits and implications of alternative approaches. Research-Driven Demonstrations, this includes projects that address particular research questions which may have broad ramifications both for program development and broader health policy and practice.

Amount: Contract awards will be made (amounts not specified). It is the intent of the County to issue multiple awards for each of the categories.

Eligibility: Government, education, and public and private nonprofit and for-profit entities. For example:

• Governmental units and political subdivisions, such as a state, county, city or town (e.g., local education agencies, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency medical units)
• Tribal Behavioral Health Providers, Urban Indian Behavioral Health Providers, and consortia of tribes or tribal Behavioral Health Providers
• Educational Behavioral Health Providers, including independent school districts, public or private universities and colleges, and private schools
• Community and faith-based Behavioral Health Providers
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status with the Internal Revenue Service
• For-Profit Behavioral Health Providers including small businesses and individuals

Link: https://www.bernco.gov/general-services/request-for-proposals.aspx

Note: A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. (local time) on January 30, 2020, in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers, One Civic Plaza NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102.

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