Request for Proposals: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Pilot Project

Transcription

1 Request for Proposals: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Pilot Project Release Date: November 7, 2016 Pre-Proposal Conference: November 17, 2016 Proposal Due: December 7, 2016 Anticipated Award Notification: December 22, 2016 Anticipated Contract Start: January 13, 2017 Behavioral Health System Baltimore, Inc. One North Charles Street, Suite 1300 Baltimore, Maryland

2 Table of Contents I. Overview of the Project... 3 A. BHSB s Goals & Objectives... 3 B. Overview of Project... 3 C. Scope of Service... 4 D. Staffing Requirements... 5 E. Funding Availability... 5 F. Program Reporting (Deliverables) and Outcomes... 5 G. Program Monitoring and Evaluation... 6 II. Overview of RFP... 7 A. Purpose of RFP... 7 B. Applicant Eligibility... 7 C. Proposal Timeframe and Specifications... 7 D. Award of Contract... 8 E. RFP Postponement/Cancellation... 8 F. Applicant Appeal Rights... 8 III. Format and Content of Proposal... 9 A. Proposal Instructions... 9 B. Proposal Narrative Outline and Rating Criteria... 9 IV. Attachments (separate documents) A. Attachment I: Contract Terms B. Attachment II: Budget Form 2

3 A. BHSB s Goals & Objectives Request for Proposals Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Pilot Project I. Overview of the Project Behavioral Health System Baltimore, Inc. (BHSB) is a non-profit agency established by Baltimore City to manage the City s public behavioral health system. BHSB serves as the local behavioral health authority for Baltimore City. In this role, BHSB envisions a city where people live and thrive in communities that promote and support behavioral health and wellness. BHSB is committed to enhancing the behavioral health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities through: The promotion of behavioral health and wellness prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery; The creation and leadership of an integrated network of providers that promotes universal access to comprehensive, data-driven services; and Advocacy and leadership of behavioral health-related efforts to align resources, programs, and policy. Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), BHSB and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) are seeking a behavioral health care provider entity for the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Pilot Project. This provider organization will work closely with BHSB, BPD, and other stakeholders to implement and evaluate the CIT Pilot Project in the Central District of Baltimore City. The goal of this project is to test the CIT model, which has been effective at achieving public safety and behavioral health goals in other areas around the world, to determine if the model is effective for Baltimore and should be expanded citywide. B. Overview of Project Law enforcement officers are often the first responders to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises, and it is widely documented that interactions between under-trained officers and people with behavioral health disorders can lead to poor public safety and health outcomes. Additionally, individuals with behavioral health disorders are overrepresented throughout the criminal justice system. However, providing law enforcement officers with training and support around de-escalating behavioral health crises has been shown to improve officer safety, improve 3

4 the efficiency and efficacy of police interactions, decrease costs to the public, and improve health and public safety outcomes for individuals with behavioral health disorders Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) are an international model for community policing that pairs law enforcement officers and behavioral health professionals to jointly respond to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. The goals of these types of programs are to improve safety outcomes for both officers and civilians, refer or reconnect individuals to behavioral health resources, and ensure that officers get the training and support they need to safely and effectively engage with individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. In Baltimore City, BHSB and BPD, along with other key community key stakeholders, have partnered on a modified version of CIT, called the Behavioral Emergency Services Team (BEST) since The BEST program provides training and general support to police officers on a variety of behavioral health issues, with an emphasis on techniques to de-escalate behavioral health crises. BHSB and BPD are now collaborating to expand on the existing BEST program to incorporate more of the elements of the CIT model through this pilot project. In particular, this RFP seeks a behavioral health provider organization to provide licensed behavioral health professionals to respond directly to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. These behavioral health professionals will work closely with highly trained officers as part of a new behavioral health unit within the Baltimore Police Department. This unit will respond to 911 and other dispatch calls believed to be related to behavioral health crises occurring in the Central District of Baltimore City. The behavioral health professionals will also provide some outreach and followup support to individuals who have had prior contact with the police department and/or this behavioral health unit. C. Scope of Service The selected provider organization will have the ability and capacity to employ 1.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) behavioral health professionals licensed in Maryland at the advanced clinical level (e.g., LCSW-C, LCPC) and to support them through regular and ongoing clinical supervision. These behavioral health professionals will cover one 8-hour shift per day, 7 days per week. They should be the same few clinicians in order to build relationships and provide follow up to individuals referred. The selected provider organization will be expected to participate in implementation planning, project evaluation, and sustainability planning throughout the lifespan of this pilot project. The 1 Dupont, R., Cochran, S., & Bush, A. (1999) Reducing criminalization among individuals with mental illness. Presented at the US Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Conference on Forensics and Mental Illness, Washington, DC. 2 Borum, R., Deane, M.D., Steadman, H., & Morrissey, J. (1998). Police perspectives on responding to mentally ill people in crisis: perceptions of program effectiveness. Behavioral Sciences and the Law. 3 TAPA Center for Jail Diversion. (2004). What can we say about the effectiveness of jail diversion programs for persons with co-occurring disorders? The National GAINS Center. 4 Greene, J. (May 6, 2011) Mental health cuts in Detroit have increased law enforcement problems, flooded ERs and created general misery Crains Detroit Business. 4

5 selected provider will have strong collaborative relationships with the acute care and crisis systems in Baltimore and be comfortable working in the community (i.e., in people s homes, on the street, or in other public places). The selected provider should have some familiarity and comfort with community policing concepts and police culture. The 1.4 FTE behavioral health professionals will: Provide direct crisis intervention to individuals in the community in partnership with law enforcement officers assigned to the CIT unit, Assist individuals to connect with behavioral health care and other needed resources, Provide needed follow-up support to individuals who previously contacted or interacted with the CIT unit, Provide outreach to individuals who call the police department or 911 but do not require an immediate in-person response, Participate in cross-training with police officers assigned to the CIT unit, and Agree to safety protocols that establish law enforcement as the controlling authority at scenes of behavioral health crises. It will be important that the behavioral health professionals assigned to this project have training and experience relevant to serving individuals who are likely to be referred through this project. Training and experience should include, but not be limited to, trauma-informed care, outreach and engagement techniques, de-escalation and crisis intervention, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, etc. D. Staffing Requirements The selected provider will be expected to employ 1.4 FTE behavioral health professionals licensed at the advanced clinical level (e.g., LCSW-C, LCPC). These behavioral health professionals will cover one 8-hour shift per day, 7 days per week. The selected provider organization will also be expected to provide regular and ongoing clinical supervision to the behavioral health professionals. It is expected that individuals referred through this project may have difficulties occurring across multiple life domains or may be reluctant to engage in behavioral health care. The selected provider organization should be prepared to support behavioral health professionals doing challenging and demanding work. E. Funding Availability The majority of the funding has been secured for a one-year pilot period. It is anticipated that approximately $150,000 in grant funds will be available to support this project, including funds for personnel, travel, professional development, and equipment (e.g., laptops). The goal is to sustain and expand this project beyond this initial pilot year; however, at this time it is unknown how or whether the project will be sustained. F. Program Reporting (Deliverables) and Outcomes BHSB is dedicated to enhancing outcomes reporting system-wide in order to evaluate the quality of public behavioral health services in Baltimore City. The selected applicant will be expected to 5

6 submit program reports to BHSB during the entirety of the approved contract term. BHSB requires quarterly program reporting on key indicators, which will include at least the following: Number and outcome of referrals Client-level demographic information of referrals Services provided to referrals Additionally, the provider organization selected through this RFP process will be expected to participate in an evaluation of this pilot project, which may include additional data collection and reporting. G. Program Monitoring and Evaluation BHSB will engage in monitoring activities to evaluate the quality of various aspects of service delivery. Some of these activities include: a) Site visits to evaluate and document various administrative and programmatic requirements, b) Review of data reports to evaluate programmatic outcomes, c) Review of general administrative compliance documents. The selected applicant will be required to participate in all monitoring and evaluation activities. If it is discovered that the selected provider organization does not meet the requirements outlined in this RFP, a Corrective Action Plan may be required, with additional follow-up monitoring to ensure requirements are being met. 6

7 II. Overview of RFP A. Purpose of RFP The purpose of this RFP is to select a behavioral health care provider entity for the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Pilot Project. This provider organization will work closely with Behavioral Health System Baltimore (BHSB), the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and other stakeholders to implement and evaluate the CIT Pilot Project in the Central District of Baltimore City. B. Applicant Eligibility Applicants must meet all of the criteria outlined below to be considered eligible to be selected through this RFP process: Ability to employ and supervise behavioral health professionals licensed at the advanced clinical level (e.g., LCSW-C, LCPC) Preference will be given to certified Minority Business Enterprises Applicants are not required to be licensed, certified, or approved as specific provider types (e.g., Outpatient Mental Health Centers). However, applicants should be prepared to document the types of licenses, certifications, and/or approvals they have to operate their programs. C. Proposal Timeframe and Specifications 1. Timeline Release Date: November 7, 2016 Pre-Proposal Conference: November 17, 2016 Proposal Due: December 7, 2016 Anticipated Award Notification: December 22, 2016 Anticipated Contract Start: January 13, Pre-Proposal Conference Date: November 17, 2016 Time: 2:30 pm Location: Behavioral Health System Baltimore One N. Charles Street, 16 th Floor Baltimore, MD Call In: (410) , Access Code: 0601 Attendance by applicants is strongly recommended. Applicants who will not be attending the pre-proposal conference may submit questions via to Keisha Tatum at Keisha.Tatum@BHSBaltimore.org by the close of business on November 16, Questions posed prior to or during the pre-proposal conference and responses will be included in an addendum to the RFP and will be posted on BHSB s website at by 7

8 November 23, Additionally, the questions and answers will be ed to all individuals who either attended the pre-proposal conference or submitted questions. Questions received after the conference will not be considered or responded to. 3. Proposal Due Date, Time, and Location Original proposals, along with one additional unbound copy of the full proposal that includes all appendices, are due no later than 3:00 pm EST on December 7, Proposals submitted after the closing date will not be considered. Applicants are advised that the authorized contact person for all matters concerning this RFP is Keisha Tatum, whose contact information is listed below. All proposals must be submitted in hard copy to: Keisha Tatum, Director of Contracting Operations One North Charles Street, Suite 1300 Baltimore, MD Phone: Anticipated Service Term: January 13, 2017 December 31, 2017 D. Award of Contract The submission of a proposal does not, in any way, guarantee an award. BHSB is not responsible for any costs incurred related to the preparation of a proposal in response to this RFP. BHSB reserves the right to withdraw an award prior to execution of a contract with a selected applicant in BHSB s sole and absolute discretion. BHSB will select the most qualified and responsive applicants through this RFP process. BHSB will enter into a contract with selected applicants following the notification of award. All selected applicants must comply with all terms and conditions applicable to contracts executed by BHSB. E. RFP Postponement/Cancellation BHSB reserves the right to postpone or cancel this RFP, in whole or in part. F. Applicant Appeal Rights Applicants may file an appeal to the Director of Contracting Operations within five business days of the notification of selection decision. The Director of Contracting Operations will review the appeal, examine any additional information provided by the protesting party, and respond to the protestor within ten business days of receipt of the appeal. 8

9 III. Format and Content of Proposal A. Proposal Instructions Applicants should submit all required information in the format specified in these instructions by the due date. The proposal narrative should be submitted using the outline provided in the next section, and should not exceed 8 typed, single-sided pages using Times New Roman 12-point font. The cover letter and appendices do not count toward the page limit. The final proposal package shall include: A proposal cover letter signed and dated by an authorized representative of the applicant organization. The cover letter must include the full legal name of the applicant organization, address, and the designated contact person and their contact information. One original version of the full proposal with all appendices. One additional unbound copy of the full proposal, including all appendices. The proposal packet must be delivered in a sealed envelope labeled with the applicant s organization name and address; the designated contact person s name, address and telephone number; and the title of the RFP. Proposals may be mailed or hand-delivered. If the proposal is sent by mail or commercial delivery service, the applicant shall be responsible for the actual delivery of the proposal to BHSB on or before the deadline. All submitted proposals become the property of BHSB. Late proposals may not be considered. B. Proposal Narrative Outline and Rating Criteria The proposal should be a clear, concise narrative that describes the applicant s responses to the prompts outlined below. This narrative outline will also be used as the rating criteria. As such, the number of points allocated to each section is also noted. 1. Organizational Background/Capacity (20 points) a) Provide an overview of your organization. Describe its history and experience delivering direct behavioral health services, including the types of services provided (e.g., outpatient mental health therapy, psychiatric rehabilitation, etc.). Include as an appendix an organizational chart showing how this project will fit into your other operations. b) Describe your organization s experience collaborating with the acute care and behavioral health crisis systems. c) Describe your organization s history of working with law enforcement agencies and personnel, as well as your understanding of community policing models and police culture. d) Attach as an appendix your organization s certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), if applicable. 9

10 2. Service Delivery and Staffing Plan (20 points) a) Describe the staffing pattern you anticipate using to implement this pilot project. If you have staff already identified, include their resumes as an appendix. If you do not have staff identified, describe the educational background and experience of staff to be hired. b) Describe your plan to quickly and effectively recruit staff in order to implement the project shortly after the contract start date. c) Describe your plan to ensure adequate support and clinical supervision for staff. d) Describe your organization s professional competencies and development activities related to the skills outlined in the Scope of Service section of this RFP. 3. Effectively Serving the Target Population (20 points) a) Describe your organization s history providing crisis intervention and deescalation services to individuals in community settings (e.g., in homes, in public places, etc.). b) Describe your history of performance in meeting defined deliverables for any contracts you have had to deliver these services. c) Describe your organization s capacity to link referred individuals to behavioral health care and other needed resources. Include measureable outcomes you have achieved related to this area. d) Describe how your organization will ensure that services are delivered in a culturally and linguistically competent manner, responsive to the diverse needs of communities served. Describe your current policies and practices related to this area. 4. Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance (10 points) a) Describe your organization s capacity to accurately track and report consumerlevel data and other identified indicators. Describe current tracking systems you use and your history of submitting client-level data to funding or oversight agencies? b) Describe your organization s willingness to participate in a project evaluation. 5. Proposed Program Budget and Narrative (10 points) a) Attach a budget as an appendix. The budget should reflect the funding availability outlined in Section I, E of this RFP. b) Describe and justify each line item in the budget as a narrative. 10

11 6. Implementation Timeline (10 points) a) Describe a timeline to fully implement services within three weeks of award notification. 7. Appendices (10 points) This section does not count toward the page limit. a) Organizational chart b) MBE Certification (if applicable) c) Budget d) Most recent OHCQ site visit report (statement of deficiencies included) e) Most recent audit f) Most recent IRS 990 g) Programmatic reports associated with other contracts or agreements for providing services that shows your ability to complete these kinds of reports. h) Additional appendices are permitted. 11