To: Board of Supervisors
From: DHHS: Public Health
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
SUBJECT:
title
Grant Agreement with Harm Reduction Coalition for the California Harm Reduction Initiative to Expand Harm Reduction and Support and Services for Fiscal Year 2023-24 and Supplemental Budget (4/5 vote required)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve Grant Agreement with Harm Reduction Coalition for the period of July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023;
2. Authorize the Director of Public Health or a designee thereof to sign one original of the signature page of the agreement;
3. Authorize the Director of Public Health or a designee thereof to sign all future amendments and documents directly related to this grant agreement upon review and approval of County Counsel and Risk Management;
4. Direct the Clerk of the Board to return one (1) copy of the certified board report to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) - Contract Unit; and
5. Direct the Auditor-Controller to supplement Fund 1175, Budget Unit 437003-Needle Exchange for fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 (4/5 vote required).
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Public Health Funds (1175-437003)
DISCUSSION:
The National Harm Reduction Coalition is the lead organization for the California Harm Reduction Initiative, also known as CHRI, supported by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Office of AIDS (OA). CHRI was established by the California Budget Act of 2019, which included $15.2 million to strengthen substance use disorder response by supporting staffing at harm reduction programs.
DHHS - Public Health, North Coast AIDs Project (NorCAP) has been awarded a six-month supplement to the CHRI grant in the amount of $59,015 for the term of July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023. The original grant was approved by your board on December 8, 2020, awarding $337,500 from August 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023, to expand harm reduction services and deepen linkage and engagement with other health service and resource programs. Specifically, substance use disorder treatment services, building upon local expertise, uplifting the voices and priorities of people who use drugs, and centering racial justice. Technical assistance is also a component of this grant.
Funding will sustain the Mobile Outreach program, which operates under Humboldt County DHHS-Public Health's North Coast AIDs Project, to continue to serve rural and frontier areas, including tribal lands to disenfranchised populations in Humboldt County. The main goals of the project are to provide harm reduction services, free HIV and HCV testing to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, assist clients in accessing enabling services through linkages to care, and provide overdose prevention education including Naloxone training and distribution. All services are provided in a supportive community, free from judgment and built on equity, empowering people who use drugs to be the primary agents of reducing the harms of their drug use.
This agreement is coming before your Board after the contract start date due to delays on the part of the grantor. The late execution will have no effect on the receipt of funding or delivery of program activities.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
|
Expenditures (1175, 437003) |
FY23-24 Adopted |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$56,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$ 3,015 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$59,015 |
|
Funding Sources (1175, 437003) |
FY23-24 Adopted |
|
State/Federal Funds |
$59,015 |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$59,015 |
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
Narrative Explanation of Financial Impact:
This agreement with CDPH will allow DHHS-Public Health to be reimbursed up to $59,015 for the period of July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. Funding in the amount of $56,000 was included in the approved County budget process for FY 2023-24, however an additional $3,015 was awarded and not anticipated in the adopted county budget for FY 2023-24. Therefore, a supplemental budget for Fund 1175, Budget Unit 437003 - Needle Exchange in the amount of $3,015 is attached for approval.
STAFFING IMPACT:
Acceptance of this grant will support current staffing levels in NorCAP Mobile Outreach program.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework priority of creating opportunities for improved safety and health, providing community-appropriate levels of services, and protecting vulnerable populations.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
California Department of Public Health
Harm Reduction Coalition
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board may choose not to approve the recommendations; however, it would result in a loss of both funding and services to the County.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Grant Agreement with Harm Reduction Coalition for the California Harm Reduction Initiative
2. Supplemental Budget for Fund 1175, Budget Unit 437003 - Needle Exchange
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: C-17
Meeting of: 12/8/2020
File No.: 20-1474