19-RFQ-1334227827-HMM-DPS-Addendum 1 Mental Health Services for Rockingham Facility Youth Detention Center-Questions and Answers slf-slp.docx

North Carolina Department of Public Safety

Purchasing and Logistics

Tymica Dunn, Director

IMPORTANT BID ADDENDUM ONE (1)

November 13, 2024

INSTRUCTIONS:

Please make the following change(s) in the bid referenced above:

1. Reference to 5.2 (n) Will the provider vendor be expected to utilize an electronic health record (EHR) system provided by Rockingham YDC for keeping therapeutic notes or is the vendor responsible for the choosing and using an EHR?

DJJDP will have an electronic health record that will be expected to be utilized by the provider vendor. We anticipate it will go live in 2025.

2. Reference to 5.2 (a, c) Will the vendor need to provide services on holidays or will the schedule need to take place outside of state and federal holidays?

The provider vendors’ LMHC team will cover the facility 365 days per year. They will receive voicemails/calls from the facility and will provide a window of when they respond. For youth on suicide prevention status, they have 24 hours to respond. There is an expectation to have a 24/7 on call number (but do not respond in real time 24/7 as noted).

3. Reference to 5.2 (c) Is there a preferred schedule (days and times) for services so that other activities and events at YDC are not interrupted?

The schedule is worked out with the facility. An example one facility has is the clinician team members are available from 3-6 everyday (365 days) for either routine or crisis services.

4. Reference to 5.2 (o) What are the required trainings for DPS/DJJDP?

These are examples of the required trainings as of today (this list could change): Reporting Abuse/Neglect policy, requirements, and procedures; Misuse/Theft of State Property Memo; Ethical Conduct; Computer Usage; Use of IT Resources; Suicide Prevention; Unlawful Workplace Harassment and Professional Conduct Policy; Alcohol/Drug-Free Workplace Policy; Confidentiality Agreement; Personal Appearance Policy; Prison, Rape, Elimination Act Acknowledgement. Additionally, the LMHC team is responsible (after being trained) for conducting Suicide Prevention policy training for all new staff within 90 days of their start date.

5. Reference to 5.2 (o) What is the timeframe to complete trainings for DPS/DJJDP?

Typically, trainings are completed within 30 days as many are read and sign-but that is coordinated with the Facility Director.

6. Reference to 5.2 (general task/deliverables) If the vendor is contracted with insurance companies for services, will the vendor be able to bill an individual's insurance for each person being served or is this prohibited?

We do have vendors that work with youth outside of the facility. This must be completely separate, and they cannot use their detention scheduled time to do that work. They can coordinate with facility how this is done but this must be separated so that there is no potential for double billing. This is coordinated outside, and they cannot use their time in detention to recruit families into their services so that there is no appearance of coercion. Often, the vendor is working with the young person before they come to detention. In these situations, it is completely appropriate to support that young person-but they need to ensure this is transparent with what they are doing for the facility and what they are doing as an insurance provider.

7. Section Reference: Section 5.2 - Tasks/Deliverables Question: Could you clarify the protocols and expectations for collaboration between the contracted mental health providers and on-site DPS staff, such as medical and counseling personnel? Specifically, will there be structured opportunities for interdisciplinary meetings or regular coordination activities to ensure a cohesive approach to youth care?

Each facility detention team handles these collaborations differently. Since this is a new facility, the Facility Director is given some general guidelines but has the flexibility to adjust to what benefits the young people and their families at their facility. Yes, we have had training on multidisciplinary team meetings and the need for these meetings. The vendor lead clinician can work this out with the Facility Director and is covered within the scope of work. For example, one facility does this for one hour a week and the lead LMHC for that team attends their meeting. The LMHC works with medical personnel predominantly on youth with suicide prevention, psychiatric referrals, sleep issues, and similar areas. They work routinely with direct care staff who provide supervision for the contracted LMHC so that safety is ensured while also respecting privacy during counseling. Most young people will have Case Managers or Care Coordinators if they are working on services outside of their facility. If we have a rare situation where a young person does not (who is waiting for placement), then the LMHC may be asked to assist with some information or other support to help the young person transition to their placement.

8. Section Reference: Section 6.5 - Periodic Monthly Status Report Question: Could DPS provide further details on the required format and content of the monthly status reports, particularly regarding specific data fields or outcome metrics prioritized by DPS to track the effectiveness of mental health services? Additionally, will DPS grant access to an electronic health records (EHR) system, or is it expected that the contractor will maintain independent records for reporting purposes?

The monthly reports include the provider vendor information, each date of service, time in and out at facility or virtually and some type of identifier of what was done (example: initials of all students counseled, meeting with Facility Director, training on suicide prevention protocol with a new staff, 1 hour group, etc). DJJDP must be able to account for what was done and for how long and what date everything occurred to provide payment. Additionally, each facility requires some type of sign in and out-either in person or virtually. We currently do not track the effectiveness of services as most of the young people are short term in detention and the goal is to get them back into their community. DJJDP will have an Electronic Health Record that we anticipate will go live in 2025. Provider vendors must use that system.

An Equal Opportunity Employer image1.png image2.png