REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Al Zelinka, City Manager
VIA: Travis K. Hopkins, Assistant City Manager
PREPARED BY: Brian Smith, Lieutenant Grace Yoon-Taylor, Principal Management Analyst
Subject:
title
Approve submittal of a Letter of Interest and application for CalOptima Health’s Street Medicine Program to provide preventive health, urgent care, and social services directly to homeless individuals at no direct cost to the City
body
Statement of Issue:
City Council is asked to approve and authorize the City Manager to submit a Letter of Interest and application on behalf of the City for CalOptima Health’s Street Medicine Program.
If the City’s application were selected, CalOptima Health would provide street medical services to the unsheltered and/or those at risk of homelessness in Huntington Beach, at no direct cost to the City. Prior to CalOptima Health’s implementation of the program, staff would return to the City Council for additional approval on any program agreements and documents, as required.
Financial Impact:
There is no current fiscal impact associated with this request. If selected, CalOptima Health’s Street Medicine Program would be offered within the Huntington Beach community at no direct cost to the City.
The only impact to the City would be minimal in-kind administrative support that includes City staff time for the initial planning and implementation phase and a small office space for the Street Medicine program providers to operate out of. This Letter of Interest does not obligate the City to provide any direct funding now or in the future.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
A) Approve the submission of the City’s Letter of Interest and application to CalOptima Health’s Street Medicine Program; and
B) Authorize the City Manager to execute and submit all application documents on behalf of the City.
end
Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve, and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
In October, CalOptima Health issued a Notice of Interest Opportunity (Attachment 1) to accept letters of interest from qualified Orange County cities to participate in its existing Street Medicine Program. This Program is a new partnership-driven, in-community program to offer preventive health services, urgent care, and social services specifically to meet the unique needs and circumstances of unsheltered individuals where they are. The Program purpose is to help reduce barriers to medical care and follow-through services and prevent emergency department utilization.
Earlier this year, Garden Grove was the first City selected to launch this Program in the County to deliver health care services to their homeless community, and CalOptima Health has announced an expansion to other qualified Orange County cities.
The Street Medicine Program is a mobile medical clinic with two care teams (a coordination care team of two caseworkers and a medical care team of a physician assistant and registered nurse) that engage in integrated outreach, identifying unsheltered individuals in the field, and connecting them to necessary preventive, urgent, and primary care services. Such services include ongoing medical care, ordering and reading labs, prescribing medications and referrals to specialists and urgent care as needed.
This Program is expected to complement and enhance the City’s existing homeless System of Care, while maintaining quality of life for the entire Huntington Beach community.
To apply, the City must submit the Letter of Interest (Attachment 2) and online application by November 8, 2023. If selected, the Street Medical Program would be launched around April 2024.
Environmental Status:
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 4 - Homelessness, Strategy A - Explore options to collaborate with faith and community-based organizations, the City's HB Cares Volunteer program, CalOptima, and others to provide social services in a cost-effective manner.
For details, visit www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/strategicplan <http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/strategicplan>.
Attachment(s):
1. CalOptima Health Notice of Interest Opportunity for Street Medicine Expansion
2. Letter of Interest - City of Huntington Beach