TITLE
Title
CONTRACT RENEWAL FOR VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA OF THE CAROLINAS
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Abby Gostling, Manager of Special Projects
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BACKGROUND
Background
On August 1, 2024, the Board approved a one-year contract with an optional one-year renewal with Volunteers of America of the Carolinas (VOACC) for phase one of residential treatment services for pregnant and parenting women. Phase one is the program design phase covering the period of time prior to facility opening. The Volunteers of America scope during this phase of the project includes:
• Program Design: Work collaboratively to develop a program based on the Family Focused Recovery Model and compliant with all necessary state and local regulations.
• Facility Design: Support development of a facility design that aligns with implementation of the program design.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Participate in community stakeholder engagement, establish local partnerships to support a full system of care, identify and develop solutions to potential service delivery barriers in the community, and provide community education and awareness around the services to be provided.
Over the past year, VOACC has accomplished the following:
• Onboarded key leadership for the program, a clinical program director and a director of partnerships & community engagement.
• Participated in Guilford County Women and Children Residential Recovery Subcommittee and Stakeholder meetings.
• Facilitated a NIATX Co-Production community engagement process to solicit information from providers and people with lived experience in Guilford County.
• Established partnerships with project stakeholders, maintained contact with community providers on a weekly basis, and participated in behavioral health events in the community such as the Guilford County Mental Health Resource Fair.
• Collaborated with Guilford County to identify facility upfit needs to establish the program in the Gibson Park space. VOACC expertise informed the development of preliminary schematic designs for the building used to better understand the scope of the project and solicit for design services.
• Developed program policies and procedures that align with state regulations, developed a staffing and training plan for 22 positions for the program, and worked to identify program funding streams.
In the coming year, VOACC will continue to work on the three core focus areas of facility design, program design, and community engagement. This will include items such as:
• Advise on and review design decisions throughout the formal design work for the facility.
• Receive formal recommendations from NIATx community engagement work and incorporate them into the program design and service delivery model.
• Continue community engagement with project stakeholders, providers, people with lived experience, and wrap around service partners to continue to develop working relationship to support the new program and keep them informed and involved during facility design and construction work.
• Finalize the operational framework and service delivery model to include strong integration with Guilford County network of providers and wrap around support services.
This contract renewal will run from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026 for $365,835 to be funded from Opioid Settlement Funds. The activity is allowable under the Opioid Settlement MOA in Exhibit A, Strategy 1 "Collaborative Strategic Planning" as the focus of this phase of the work is program and facility planning and stakeholder engagement. The necessary Opioid Spending authorization for this activity is included with this item.
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
Opioid Settlement Fund
$365,835 Increase in Federal/State Revenue
$365,835 Increase in Appropriation to Opioid Settlement
NO ADDITIONAL COUNTY FUNDS REQUIRED
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Approve a contract renewal, in substantial form, with Volunteers of America of the Carolinas for consultation on program design, facility design, and stakeholder engagement as part of program design for a Residential Treatment Services for Pregnant and Parenting Beneficiaries in the amount of $365,835 for a twelve (12) month contract term beginning on August 1, 2025 and ending July 31, 2026; and adopt an Opioid Settlement Spending Resolution for the use of Opioid Settlement funds to fund this work under Exhibit A, Strategy 1 as outlined in the resolution in the total amount of $365,835, to be effective from August 1, 2025 and ending August 31, 2026.
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