To: Board of Supervisors
From: DHHS: Public Health
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)- Social Services and DHHS- Public Health for implementation of the CalWORKs Home Visiting Initiative (HVI)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the MOU between DHHS- Social Services and DHHS- Public Health for the period of April 9, 2019 through June 9, 2019 to be automatically renewed until otherwise terminated as outlined in the agreement; and
2. Authorize the Directors of DHHS-Social Services and DHHS- Public Health or their designees to sign two original signature pages of the MOU.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Social Services
DISCUSSION:
Senate Bill 840 (Chapter 29, Statutes of 2018), or the Budget Act of 2018 appropriated approximately $26.9 million allocated for Jan. 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019 for the creation of the Home Visiting Initiative (HVI) through the California Department of Social Services CalWORKs program. Assembly Bill 1811 (Chapter 35, Statutes of 2018) codified the requirements for the HVI. Continued funding is subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
The purposes of the HVI is to support positive health, development and well-being outcomes for pregnant and parenting women, families and infants born into poverty, expending their future educational, economic and financial capability opportunities, and improving the likelihood they will exit poverty.
This home visiting is to be completed by an evidence-based, voluntary program model that pairs new parents with a nurse, or other trained professional who makes regular visits in the participant’s home to provide guidance, coaching, access to prenatal and postnatal care and other health and social services. The pairing of home visiting with CalWORKs provides an opportunity to connect parents with necessary resources, improve their parenting skills and household order and ensure that their children have a safe and nurturing environment that allows them to grow and thrive.
In September 2018, DHHS-Social Services CalWORKs program, in partnership with DHHS- Public Health, submitted a proposal to implement the HVI in the County of Humboldt with the DHHS- Public Health Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) program. NFP is an evidence-based home visiting program in which first-time, low-income mothers voluntarily enroll for home visitation by a Public Health Nurse (PHN). NFP has been shown to have positive impacts on child and maternal health, rates of child abuse and neglect, long-term impacts on birth rates, rates of incarceration, educational successes, maternal employment and parental capacity.
In January of 2019, the DHHS-Social Services CalWORKs program was awarded $75,063 in HVI funding for the DHHS-Public Health NFP program.
The MOU agreement before your Board today will allow DHHS-Social Services to reimburse DHHS-Public Health for a 0.5 Full-Time Equivalent of a PHN home visitor for providing home visiting services to eligible CalWORKs participants.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the attached MOU agreement will allow DHHS-Public Health to receive reimbursement from DHHS-Social Services for home visiting services in the amount of $75,063 from the date of execution through June 30, 2019 and as allocated from the California Department of Social Services for subsequent years of this agreement. There is sufficient allocations in Fund 1160, Budget Unit 505 CalWORKs and Fund 1175, Budget Unit 426 Nurse Family Partnership for Fiscal Year 2018-19. Subsequent years’ funding will be included in the annual budget process. There will be no impact to the General Fund.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by creating opportunities for improved safety and health and providing community-appropriate levels of service.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
If the Board chooses not to approve the recommendation is will result in a loss of funding and services to the county.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: CalWORKS Home Visiting Initiative MOU
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A