SUBJECT: INITIATED BY :
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUNDING AUGMENTATION TO DEVELOP A PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN ON THE RISKS OF DRUG USE AND THE AVAILABILITY OF FENTANYL TEST STRIPS
HUMAN SERVICES & RENT SJ1BILIZATION DEPARTMENT (Christof Schroeder, Director) C,11-- _ (David Giugni, Social Services Manager) 1\( (Derek Murray , Social Services Program Admi¼istrator) O"'
STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT:
T he City Council will consider staff recommendations for using unspent funds from the 2017 - 18 Substance Abuse Treatment Pool of Funds to amend the APLA Health and Wellness contract to continue a public education campaign on the risks of drug use and the availability of fentanyl test strips.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1) Approve Amendment #5 to the APLA Health & Wellness contract# 8170 in the amount of $5 ,124
2) Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute documents incident to the amendments
BACKGROUND/ ANALYSIS:
It is the City of West Hollywood ' s expectation that contracted social service providers consider City funds to be the "payer of last resort ". With the availability of Drug MediCal , City funds for substance abuse treatment services were significantly under-utilized over the course of the 2017-18 contract year .
Once Drug Medi-Cal became available to certified agencies , the City ' s fee for service Treatment Services providers , A Safe Refuge and Tarzana Treatment Center , stopped invo icing the City for community members ' access to treatment. As a result , a significant portion of the ''Treatment Pool of Funds ", $147 ,957, was not accessed over the course of the 2017-18 contract year
In order to utilize the unspent funds from the 2017-18 contract year , the Human Services Commission and the City Council approved staff' s recommendation that $147 ,957 be put out to bid to current contract providers for substance abuse treatment services to begin March 5 , 2019 and conclude September 30 , 2019
The result of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process was an augmentation to the City's contract with Safe Refuge in the amount of $18 ,864 to cover a percentage of the outreach staffs salary, mileage and outreach supplies, including hygiene items. In addition, funds were provided for the development and distribution of West Hollywood specific marketing materials The City Council also approved an augmentation to the Tarzana Treatment Center 's contract in the amount $43,937 to provide targeted outreach, engagement, and patient navigation services for West Hollywood community members. Funding was also provided for the development and distribution of West Hollywood specific marketing materials.
Subsequent to funding these two contract amendments, $85, 156 in unspent funds remained in the 2017-18 Substance Abuse Treatment Pool of Funds .
Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, death rates from an unintentional drug overdose is similar but slightly higher for West Hollywood than for Los Angeles County overall - 7.3 deaths per 100,000 population in West Hollywood compared to 6 6 deaths for Los Angeles County Since 2013, the mortality rate from opioid overdoses in particular has gone down from 14 deaths per 100,000 to 4 deaths per 100 ,000 in zip code 90069 . During the same time , the rate has gone up from 0 deaths to 4 deaths per 100 ,000 in zip code 90046 , and from O deaths to 6 deaths per 100,000 in zip code 90048.
The rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths has been driven primarily by a rise in deaths involving fentanyl, which is manufactured legally for medical use, but can also be produced illicitly and sold on the illegal drug market. Illegal fentanyl can be sold as a powder, in eye droppers or nasal sprays , or made into pills that look like real prescription opioids
Fentanyl test strips are a form of inexpensive drug testing technology that is effective at detecting the presence of fentanyl and fentanyl-analogs in drug samples. In order to use the test strips, testers dissolve a small amount of substance in water , and then dip the test strips into the liquid for 15 seconds.
In June 2019 , the City developed Phase I of a Fentanyl Awareness Campaign with APLA Health to educate community members about the risks of fentanyl and urge those who use drugs to test them before using. The City re-allocated contract savings to the Los Angeles LGBT Center and APLA Health to purchase fentanyl test strips for distribution. The Phase I collateral materials and testing strips were distributed during Pride .
Phase II of the campaign will continue to focus on fentanyl and include materials on opioid abuse prevention for older adults. The materials will be visible through placement in bus shelters, posters, window clings and advertising on social media and online news publications, such as WeHoVille . Social Services staff recommends that $5,124 of
the unspent Treatment Pool of Funds be allocated to APLA Health & Wellness to continue the public education campaign, targeting the West Hollywood community, and providing information on the risks of fentanyl and prescription opioid abuse.
CONFORMANCE WITH VISION 2020 AND THE GOALS OF THE WEST HOLLYWOOD GENERAL PLAN:
This item is consistent with the Primary Strategic Goal(s) (PSG) and/or Ongoing Strategic Program(s) (OSP) of :
• OSP 5: Support People through Social Services .
• OSP - 11 : Community Education
In addition , this item is compliant with the following goal(s) of the West Hollywood General Plan :
• HS-1 : Maintain and pursue humane social policies and social services that address the needs of the community .
EVALUATION PROCESSES:
Contract programs are evaluated quantitatively Agencies are required to provide an opportunity for clients to evaluate services and to incorporate the results of client feedback into program planning.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTH:
Key goals of the City 's Social Services contracts are to provide programming which sustains community health , provides health outreach and education , and improves the quality of life for community members
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
The Public Safety and Human Services Commissions were noticed , prior to the meeting , of the discussion of drug use and harm reduction placed on the City Council 's April 15 , 2019 meeting agenda. The initial recommendations for the programming of unspent treatment funds to augment the City 's contracts with the Los Angeles LGBT Center and APLA Health and Wellness were approved by Council at the close of the discussion Additional detail on the contract amendments was provided to the Human Services Commission under staff comments at their meeting of April 23 , 2019 . A presentation on Phase II of the campaign was provided to the Human Services Commission on September 10 , 2019.
OFFICE OF PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY:
HUMAN SERVICES & RENT DEPARTMENT/ SOCIAL
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact to this item Funding for the augmentations are covered through unspent funds remaining in the 2017-18 Social Services Treatment Pool of Funds (100-05-53-536023) AMOUNT DESCRIPTION
$5 ,124
Funding for this item was budgeted in the 2017-18 Social Services Treatment Pool of Funds .
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Amendment #5 to the APLA Health and Wellness contract
This AMENDMENT to the SOCIAL SERVICES CONTRACT is entered into this 1]1h day of September 2019 , by and between the City of West Hollywood , hereinafter called " CITY ", and APLA Health & Wellness , hereinafter called the " OPERATING AGENCY. "
RECITALS
A. On the First day of October , 2016 , the CITY and OPERATING AGENCY entered into an agreement providing for the provision of certain services to the City and its residents , hereinafter called the " AGREEMENT. "
B. The parties now desire by this AMENDMENT T O SOCIAL SERVIC E S CONTRACT (hereinafter " AMENDMENT " ) to amend the AGREEMENT by changing the compensation as noted below
In consideration of the foregoing , the AGREEMENT is amended as follows:
1. Section 25 , entitled " Compensation, Method of Payment, and Quarterly Report " is amended in its entirety to read: " COMPENSATION , METHOD OF PAYMENT, AND QUARTERLY REPORT: For performance of such services , City will pay Operating Agency an additional amount of money not to exceed the sum of $5 , 124 (Five thousand one hundred twenty-four dollars) , bringing the total 2018-2019 amount to $268 , 308 (Two hundred sixty-eight thousand three hundred eight dollars) which shall constitute full and complete compensation for the Operating Agency's services under this amendment. Said sum shall be paid for performance of those services described by Exhibit A (Scope of Services) to this Contract and may be adjusted for unsatisfactory performance of those services described by Exhibit A (Scope of Services) to this Contract. These monies are to be used by the Operating Agency only in the performance of the services described by Exhibit A (Scope of Services) to this contract and are to pay the costs of performance as described in Exhibit B (Budget) to this Contract. The Operating Agency shall submit to the City a Quarterly Program Report documenting the amount of services provided in the previous quarter. Any money received by the Operating Agency hereunder and not expended for expenses incurred pursuant hereto in accordance with Exhibit B (Budget) to this contract and during the term of this amendment shall be returned promptly to the City upon the expiration or termination of the term of this amendment. "
E xcept as herein amended , in all other respects the original AGREEMENT is reaffirmed and is in full force and effect. .
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the City Council of the City of West Hollywood has caused this Contract Amendment to be subscribed by its Mayor and the City Seal to be hereto affixed, and attested by the City Clerk , and the OPERA TING AGENCY has subscribed the same through its authorized officers , the day , month , and year first above written.
CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD
OPERA TING AGENCY Paul Arevalo City Manager Executive Director Schroeder Department Director B Quarker City Clerk