Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2023 0705 CCSA REG ITEM 09BCITY OF MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting of July 5, 2023 ACTION DIRECTION PROVIDED TO STAFF. BY A. Hurtado. B. Provide Direction to Staff Regarding Options for Mental Health Programs and Services and Possible Expenditure of Funds from the America Rescue Plan Act. Staff Recommendation: Provide direction to staff regarding options for mental health programs and services and possible expenditure of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. (Staff: PJ Gagajena, Assistant City Manager) Item: 9.B. MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: PJ Gagajena, Assistant City Manager DATE: 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting SUBJECT: Provide Direction to Staff Regarding Options for Mental Health Programs and Services and Possible Expenditure of Funds from the America Rescue Plan Act BACKGROUND Even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has been a serious issue impacting millions of people in the United States. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), each year one in five adults experience mental illness, one in 20 adults experience serious mental illness, one in six youth aged 6 -17 experience a mental health disorder, 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 -14. The pandemic increased incidents of mental illness and communities are focusing on preventive measures and solutions to address this nationwide crisis. On March 11, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, a $1.9 trillion federal aid package designed to help the American people and American economy recover from the prolonged impacts felt from COVID -19. The bill included $350 billion in direct financial relief for all state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, $8,701,674 million of which was allocated to the City of Moorpark. Upon adoption, only certain uses were eligible for ARPA funds. The interim rules identified specific categories related to economic assistance, revenue replacement, p remium pay for essential works, infrastructure, and public health. On July 28, 2021, the City Council held a special meeting to provide early direction to staff regarding the use of the City’s $8,701,674 allocation of ARPA funds. During this meeting, staff shared the results of a community survey, which indicated that residents rated mental health services as very important under the public health category. The City Council provided direction to staff to consider projects and/or programs they considered top priorities for the use of ARPA funds, which included mental health. On February 16, 2022, staff provided a list of possible ARPA -funded projects and programs with recommendations on how feasible they could be implemented and Item: 9.B. 899 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 2 identified the following projects for the City Council to consider related to mental health: 1) Develop and implement a grant (or assistance to other) program(s) for third party mental health services providers, and 2) Provide Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH) personnel in Moorpark to provide mental health services. Following that meeting, staff had discussions with VCBH and service providers that revealed having a partnership with VCBH would be more effective than implementing a grant program for third party mental health services providers, especially for providing critical care services. Based on the City Council’s direction to work with VCBH on providing mental health services to the community, it was determined that a clinic with available mental health specialists would offer the greatest impact to the community since none existed in Moorpark. Such clinics already proved to be effective in VCBH-operated facilities in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks so staff believed VCBH could easily replicate those models. However, after a careful review of the City’s proposal for a mental health clinic, VCBH was not able to offer personnel or establish a mental health clinic in Moorpark due to staffing shortages and limited resources. Staff also inquired about partnering with VCBH on conducting a behavioral needs assessment for Moorpark but was informed this was beyond the scope of VCBH and would need to be part of a countywide process. However, a mental health marketing campaign and opioid prevention services were areas the City and VCBH identified as areas for possible collaboration. During this period, there were also discussions about establishing a psychiatric health facility in east Ventura County and VCBH is still currently exploring those options. After assessing the viability of all possible ARPA-funded projects, on March 1, 2023, staff recommended the City Council appropriate the remaining ARPA funds to a few eligible projects. However, this did not include funding mental health personnel or a clinic in partnership with VCBH because it was not feasible based on feedback from the County. The City Council provided direction to staff to seek other options for enhancing mental health services in the community. In April 2023, staff shared with the City Council the results of the National Community Survey issued to residents in November 2022. The survey included specific custom questions on mental health services to ascertain more information about what types of mental health services are needed and to identify barriers to Mo orpark residents accessing the services. The results showed the community was most concerned about suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and psychiatric services. They also identified cost, limited availability, lack of information, and insurance coverage as the biggest barriers to access mental health services. DISCUSSION Based on the City Council’s direction to seek other options for enhancing mental health services in the community, City staff convened discussions with community partners, including Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), Moorpark Unified School District (MUSD), Moorpark College, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services (Didi Hirsch), and 900 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 3 Interface Children and Family Services (Interface). These organizations already have a robust set of mental health programs and initiatives, which the community may just not be aware of. Below are a few examples. VCBH • Manages crisis and referral hotlines for the County; • Offers substance abuse services including opioid prevention – see online resources and digital media examples at https://www.venturacountyresponds.org/ and https://vimeo.com/823455781/1b2f918677?share=copy ; • Coordinates mental health, suicide prevention, drug awareness and opioid use campaign with MUSD and Moorpark College; and, • Organizes informational tables at community events. MUSD • Implements Local Control Accountability Plan surveys to determine mental health needs of students, parents, teachers and staff; • Establishes wellness centers on every school campus - elementary through high school; • Hosts webinars, meetings, coffee chats with parents, students, teachers and staff; and, • Hosts Annual Mental Health Wellness Fair at Moorpark Highschool that is open to all residents. Moorpark College • Offers mental health counseling at Student Health Center ; • Hosts College Parenting 101 sessions that inform parents of available mental health services for students; • Coordinates suicide prevention training with VCBH; and, • Hosts Annual Student Health Fair every October. Didi Hirsch • Offers training for law enforcement personnel, first responders, and dispatch personnel on recognizing and responding to potential suicides; and, • Organizes trainings with the community on how to recognize possible suicide tendencies and increase awareness. Interface • Offers programs for parents who have children exhibiting disruptive behaviors; • Offers Child Interaction Therapy and Child Abuse Treatment programs; and, • Offers child and youth wellness services; and • Between the one-year period from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023, Interface served approximately 506 clients in Moorpark. 901 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 4 Ventura County Sheriff’s Office • Since 2002, all patrol deputies receive 40-hours of Crisis Intervention Team training, which teaches them about traumatic brain disorders and the different mental health diagnoses (schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, depression, etc.) and how best to interact with the individuals without agitating or alienating them. Between the one-year period from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023, the Moorpark Police Department received 96 calls for service related to suicides and 39 subjects held on 5150 incidents. The number 5150 is the section of the Welfare and Institutions Code, which allows an adult who is experiencing a mental health crisis to be involuntarily detained for a 72 -hour psychiatric hospitalization when evaluated to be a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled. These conversations helped identify the following short -, medium- and long-term goals. Short-term goals are already occurring activities or may be implemented immediately. Medium-term goals are initiatives that may be implemented between one to three years and long-term goals between three to five or more years. Note that ARPA funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and expended by December 31, 2026. City staff has discussed each of the proposed goals with the applicable community partner and will work with them on other details for implementation once staff receives direction from the City Council. Short-Term Goals (Immediate implementation) 1. Opioid Prevention Program a. Description: Ventura County Behavioral Health is ready and willing to expand its opioid prevention services in the City of Moorpark. They need a physical space to meet with high-risk individuals and their families to educate and train them on how to prevent opioid use and recognize overdoses and distribute Narcan kits. VCBH has the staff and resources to offer these services immediately. There is currently space available at the office of the Ventura County Human Services Agency located at the Ruben Castro Human Services Center and services would be available every Friday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. b. Agency: VCBH c. Status: Not yet started but can begin immediately d. City’s role: Promotion and awareness e. City funding required: None. Note: the City has elected to transfer national opioid settlement funds to the County of Ventura for opioid prevention services. The national opioid settlement funds are a result of thousands of lawsuits filed by states and local governments against opioid pharmaceutical distributors, manufacturers, and chain pharmacies for being liable for hundreds and thousands of deaths caused by opioid overdoses. The City will be transferring to the County approximately $148,141 from the Distributors and Janssen settlements, and $103,000 from the Teva/Allergen and Pharmacy chain settlements. 902 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 5 2. Mental Health Webinars and Meetings a. Description: MUSD can allow residents to join mental health webinars and in-person meetings they currently host. These webinars and meetings are also available in Spanish. In-person meetings would be rotated throughout the community to offer maximum access to as ma ny neighborhoods as possible. b. Agency: MUSD c. Status: Not yet started but can begin immediately d. City’s role: Promotion and awareness e. City funding required: None 3. MUSD Moorpark Wellness Center a. Description: MUSD can allow residents access to use the Moorpark Wellness Center located at Moorpark High School in the evenings from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. The City would need to pay for a mental health counselor annually on a part-time basis, who would be recruited and managed by MUSD. The City will coordinate with MUSD on the schedule during school breaks. b. Agency: MUSD c. Status: Not yet started but can begin immediately d. City’s role: Promotion, awareness, and funding e. City funding required: $60,000 per year for part-time mental health counselor 4. Law Enforcement Training a. Description: Set up training for law enforcement personnel, first responders, and dispatch personnel on recognizing and responding to potential suicides. This is being coordinated between Didi Hirsch and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. b. Agency: Didi Hirsch c. Status: Currently ongoing d. City’s role: Awareness e. City funding required: None 5. Community-Based Suicide Alertness Trainings a. Description: Organize trainings with the community on how to recognize possible suicide tendencies and increase awareness. This is being coordinated between Didi Hirsch and the Ventura County Suicide Prevention Council. Possible collaboration with MUSD webinars and meetings. b. Agency: Didi Hirsch and Ventura County Suicide Prevention Council c. Status: Currently ongoing d. City’s role: Promotion, awareness, and possible assistance in providing space for the trainings e. City funding required: None 903 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 6 6. Mental Health Marketing Campaign a. Description: An educational and marketing campaign targeted to Moorpark residents to increase awareness of all mental health programs and services available. If the City uses existing staff from the Public Information Division, the City would utilize current budgetary resources and use marketing materials from community partners to post information on the City website, social media, recreation guide, and utility bill inserts. The City’s Recreation Division will also actively invite mental health partners to community events and meetings to share information and resources. If the City hires a marketing agency as part of the campaign, that agency will create new materials to advertise in local papers and social media, develop handouts and flyers, create videos and/or community presentations, and produce materials in other languages than English and customized for specific age groups to reach all members of the community. The contract with the marketing agency would only last until Decembe r 31, 2026, if ARPA funds are used. Once ARPA funds are no longer available, the City would need to decide whether to continue with the campaign and allocate funding for use of the marketing agency’s services. The City will avoid duplication of efforts if community partners already have a robust marketing campaign for their target market. b. Agency: City of Moorpark, community partner, or marketing agency c. Status: Not yet started but can begin immediately d. City’s role: Promotion and awareness, and possibly coordinating with consultant e. City funding required: $50,000 to $100,000 per year if marketing agency used 7. Text Messaging Daily Mental Health Support Services a. Description: Inform residents to subscribe to Cope Notes, which sends daily text messages to improve mental and emotional health. The company boasts a 98% open rate on its text messages that offers and/or promotes peer support, positive psychology, brain training, and digital journaling. Cope Notes indicates that 86% of its users reported improved m ental health within 30 days. Cope Notes has partnered with the International City/County Management Association and National Alliance on Mental Health. b. Agency: Cope Notes https://copenotes.com/ c. Status: Not yet started but can begin immediately d. City’s role: Promote subscription service to residents e. City funding required: Option 1: Residents may subscribe directly to service, which costs $8.99 per month. Option 2: The City may pay for a group subscription for 100 people during the first year only. Each annual subscription costs $107.88, which means it will cost the City $10,788 to subscribe 100 people. After the one-year period ends, subscribers may opt to subscribe directly. 904 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 7 8. Moorpark Mental Health Task Force a. Description: Establish a task force of community partners in Moorpark to meet on a quarterly basis to enhance communication, exchange information, and ensure efforts are coordinated to address ongoing mental health needs of the community. The task force would include City staff, Active Adult Center staff/members, Teen Council members, Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, VCBH, MUSD, Moorpark College, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, Interface Children and Family Services, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. b. Agency: City of Moorpark c. Status: Not yet started but can begin immediately d. City’s role: Coordinate task force meetings e. City funding required: None besides City staff time 9. Moorpark College Student Health Services a. Description: The Student Health Center at Moorpark College offers students mental health counseling, health care programs, food and housing support, and drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention resources. Although the Center specifically services its students only and is not available to Moorpa rk residents, the Center requires funding to continue and enhance services to their students. b. Agency: City of Moorpark c. Status: Not yet determined but contribution can be made immediately d. City’s role: The City may consider making a financial contribution to the Moorpark College Foundation specifically to support the Student Health Center to continue its existing services to students e. City funding required: TBD Medium-Term Goals (1-3 years) 1. Moorpark Mental Health and Wellness Center a. Description: A Mental Health and Wellness Center in Moorpark could be established at the Ruben Castro Human Services Center in the office space recently vacated by Interface Children and Family Services. Interface vacated the facility due to the end of grant funding in February 2023. The City would solicit proposals from service providers who would operate the facility and have regular schedules to be available for services to the community by walk-in or appointment. Based on feedback from community partners, there remains value of having in-person counseling sessions for residents. The facility would only be staffed by counselors and more serious cases would be referred to VCBH. The Center may be open a few times per week initially and expand its hours of operation as needed. The difference between this facility and MUSD’s Wellness Center is it would be open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. MUSD’s Wellness Center is only open to the public after 4:00 p.m. The monthly rental cost for the space is $2,768 and the estimated utility costs 905 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 8 are $1,338 per month. The City could fully pay or partially subsidize a portion of the rental and utility costs with the use of ARPA funds. Once those funds are no longer available, long-term funding for the Center will need to be identified in order for it to continue operating. b. Agency: City of Moorpark c. Status: TBD d. City’s role: Promotion, awareness, and coordination e. City funding required: The City could fully pay or partially subsidize a portion of the rental and utility costs until the ARPA funds are no longer available. The monthly rental cost is $2,768 and the estimated utility costs are $1,338 per month. Long-Term Goals (3-5+ years) 1. Moorpark Police Department Mental Health Services a. Description: Depending on need and as the community grows and funding becomes available, determine if the City needs to contract with VCBH for a full-time Mental Health Specialist and/or Caseworker to work alongside deputies in the Moorpark Police Department similar to how the City of Camarillo is currently working with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to fund a Specialist and Caseworker. The City would work closely with the Sheriff’s Office to determine this need and steps for implementation. b. Agency: City of Moorpark, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and VCBH c. Status: TBD d. City’s role: Funding e. City funding required: TBD 2. Behavioral Needs Assessment a. Description: Conduct a comprehensive study of mental health needs in the City of Moorpark to better serve the community. This would be similar to the Community Health Needs Assessment completed by Ventura County in 2022: https://www.healthmattersinvc.org/content/sites/ventura/chnas/Ventura_C HNA_2022_v4.pdf. This study would be conducted by the County but it has no plans to conduct such a study in the near term so this is proposed as a long-term goal for now. b. Agency: County of Ventura c. Status: TBD d. City’s role: Promotion e. City funding required: TBD 3. Permanent Moorpark Mental Health Clinic a. Description: Based on demand of mental health services and programs observed between years 2023 through 2026 and/or results of the behavioral needs assessment survey, a mental health clinic in Moorpark could be established similar to what VCBH already offers at its mental health clinics 906 Honorable City Council 07/05/2023 Regular Meeting Page 9 in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks. Office space and clinical specialists would be needed. The clinic may be open a few times per week initially and expand its hours of operation as needed. b. Agency: County of Ventura c. Status: TBD d. City’s role: Promotion e. City funding required: TBD Mental health is a very complex issue and there is no simple solution to addressing the mental health needs of the Moorpark community. However, the City can play a role in these efforts by implementing and/or supporting the above initiatives in partnership with community stakeholders. The combined work of non-profits, government agencies, medical facilities, law enforcement, schools, businesses, and neighbors working together can assist people during times of crisis and ultimately prevent deaths. As the Moorpark community grows in the future, the mental health needs of residents will increase as well. Other goals and initiatives may be identified as staff continues discussions with community partners and if the Moorpark Mental Health Task Force is created and proposes other ideas. Each initiative will be closely monitored and staff will provide an annual update or report to the City Council. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as it does not constitute a project, as defined by Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Therefore, no environmental review is required. FISCAL IMPACT There is no financial impact for receiving this presentation or providing direction to staff. However, there may be a financial impact depending on the options selected above by the City Council and the use of the remaining $850,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds. COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE This action is consistent with City Council Goal 1, Objective 1.2: “Mental Health Plan” for Fiscal Years 2023/24 and 2024/25.” STAFF RECOMMENDATION Provide direction to staff regarding options for mental health programs and services and possible expenditure of funds from the America Rescue Plan Act. 907