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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Kittitas County Jail MAT 20201 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Background/Introduction The Kittitas County Jail is a 208-bed facility located in Ellensburg, WA and part of the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. We are centrally located in Washington State in a rural area with limited access to many services for those incarcerated who are battling Opioid, Stimulant and other substance abuse. The Kittitas County Jail houses inmates from all local jurisdictions as well as contracted agencies. These inmates are from our own community as well as other parts of the state of Washington. Summary of Project The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a MAT (Medically Assisted Treatment) partner that can provide services within the jail, the county, and major cities across the state of Washington. A partner with a commitment to serving the Ellensburg, WA area and an extensive reach will ensure a smooth transition from the Jail MAT Program to community treatment either within our own community , or elsewhere within the state. This commitment to increasing MAT access to the greater community, in addition to the inmates at the Kittitas County Jail, will impact both of Kittitas County’s Qualified Opportunity Zones. Drug treatment has been shown to be both less expensive and more effective at reducing recidivism, drug abuse, and related crime compared to prison. Dr. Nora D Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stated “Detox alone in jail or prison is not treatment. Without proven treatment and therapeutic follow-up in a community setting, addicted offenders are at a high risk of relapse despite a long period of forced sobriety.” By instituting evidence-based treatment in the jail setting, along with a clear path for care coordination post-release, the proposed program should have a positive impact on the public safety of the area surrounding the Kittitas County Jail. Program Design and Implementation With the size, complexity, and relatively limited community resources of the Kittitas County Jail in mind, as well as best practice guidelines published by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and other organizations for cutting operational costs in jails related to inmates going through withdrawal, reducing overdose rates post-release, and lowering the rate of recidivism the following minimum qualifications will be used to identify a partner to provide onsite medication-assisted treatment for inmates with substance use disorder. The Kittitas County Jail has researched available MAT organizations and reviewed programs offered in other jail programs in the State of Washington. The Kittitas County Jail is confident an organization with all minimum qualifications can be procured for this project. Screening 2 Currently inmates are referred to the Hub and Spoke treatment as resources allow. Under the proposed project, all inmates will be screened for a possible OUD (Opioid Use Disorder), or any other type of SUD (Substance Use Disorder), then would be referred to the MAT partner organization as appropriate. The MAT partner organization staff will begin with a general assessment for all substance use disorders (SUDs) utilizing NIDA validated screening tools (NIDA quick screen, NIDA Modified ASSIST). If opioids are a primary substance of abuse, both the DSM 5 Criteria for the Diagnosis of Opioid Use Disorder and the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale will be utilized. Assessment for other SUDs and withdrawals will also occur during initial screening. For example, if alcohol is identified as a substance of abuse, the DSM 5 Criteria for the Diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder and the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol will be used. A combination of screening/assessment instruments as well as the individual characteristics of each patient will be used to identify appropriate and willing candidates for MAT. Onsite Services Intake: A full-time onsite Nurse Care Manager (NCM) will assist each inmate who has been pre-screened using an evidence-based screening tool provided by the MAT partner organization, and identified as a candidate for MAT by the jail correctional or medical staff, to complete new patient paperwork. Forms include a Consent to Treat and a Consent to Release Information including a Business Associate Agreement, allowing patient data to be shared between the jail and the MAT partner organization. Induction: A licensed, X-DEA waivered provider and NCM will operate from inside the jail to conduct a medical exam of each inmate who has completed the new patient paperwork. If the provider diagnoses the inmate with substance use disorder and confirms the inmate is a candidate for MAT, the provider will prescribe an appropriate dose of medication and the NCM will handle documentation, registration, and induction dosing. In addition to inducting new patients, the provider will review patient charts weekly and refill or adjust prescriptions as appropriate. Dosing: The NCM will prepare medication doses, administer balloon dosing (3 times per week) or daily dosing if medically appropriate, directly to all inmates on the MAT program, and maintain accurate electronic medical record (EMR) documentation. The dosing schedule will be determined by command staff in collaboration with the MAT partner organization during the implementation planning phase. Counseling: An important part of this program to be successful is the inmate begins and continues to receive the appropriate counseling in either a one on one, or group setting. The counselor’s responsibility will be to ensure the inmate is given skills and mechanisms to utilize, in conjunction of the prescribed medication to encourage rehabilitation, addiction battling, and other resources towards recovery. This counselor will be responsible for monitoring the inmates and their emotional/behavioral needs during incarceration while ensuring the inmate also has the resources once they are released for coping with their addiction. Care Coordination: The Peer Support Specialist will coordinate scheduling of ongoing care for inmates at the MAT partner organization’s local clinic, starting immediately pre-release. Care coordination includes appointment scheduling, documentation, financial counseling, referrals to services, and communication with the patient to ensure smooth transition from onsite services to outpatient services. 3 Staff Training: The MAT partner organization will deliver initial and refresher training to all command and corrections staff on opioid use disorder, withdrawal symptoms, medication information, dosing protocols, and the role of behavioral counseling. Scheduling and the final content of training seminars will be determined by command staff during the implementation planning phase. Medical staff will be on call for phone-based clinical consultation as needed for any questions or issues related to MAT that come up after hours for medical or correctional staff. Post-Release Coordination and Services MAT partner organization prescribing staff and the NCM will meet with individuals currently incarcerated and establish a provider/patient relationship. Once the individual is released from jail, he/she will have had their first appointment or will attend their first appointment, scheduled with the MAT partner organization. If there is any time lapse between release and appointment, the individual will receive reminder call. The MAT partner needs to be aware of the inmates’ home area, especially if it is within our community, to be able to navigate and provide the necessary hand off aligning the inmate with continuation of care of their services and programing. An appointment will be already scheduled at the MAT partner organization in Ellensburg and transportation waiting for these individuals, as needed, upon release from custody. The MAT partner organization will also aid in the application process for insurance for the uninsured so that care and the individual’s medication can be paid for after their release from the Kittitas County Jail. The MAT partner organization will need to ensure flexibility in their scheduling as well and will be able to accommodate changes in release dates. Ongoing medication-assisted treatment and appropriate lab testing with a licensed addiction medicine provider and medical staff at affiliate MAT provider is necessary. Addiction to all substances, including opioids, methamphetamines, alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco is treated along with prescribing of medications where appropriate, including Suboxone® / buprenorphine, Vivitrol® / naltrexone, disulfiram, acamprosate, gabapentin, carbamazepine, and pregabalin. Costs are to be covered by insurance, including Medicaid. Minimum Qualifications: • Experience providing 24/7 on call consultation to jails and medical oversight to providers, nurses, and medical assistants conducting MAT related activities inside of the jail. • Ability to accept new patients at outpatient clinics within 72 hours of release. • A currently established or commitment to establish an outpatient clinic in Ellensburg, WA. • Presumptive and definitive internal laboratory operations to rapidly diagnose and treat opioid use disorder (OUD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), mental health disorders, Hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted infections (STI). • Accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance in addition to self-pay at clinics. • Must have significant X-DEA/Buprenorphine Waiver capacity. • Evidence of corporate financial stability and experience with rapid operational expansion. • Affiliated with community-based organizations. 4 • Screening Proposal Requirements RFP responses addressing the herein described scope shall include the following information: 1. Legal name, address, email, telephone, and fax numbers of the proposed entity 2. Qualifications and experience 3. List of recent projects 4. Pertinent licenses and certifications 5. Estimated total cost for project implementation and completion 6. Other relevant information or materials for consideration by Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, including but not limited to professionally appropriate insurance 7. Whether the contractor is currently, or has ever been, debarred, suspended, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department, or other government agency. Mailed or delivered responses are to be submitted to: Kittitas County Jail Attn: Superintendent Panattoni 205 W 5th Suite 1/Jail Ellensburg WA 98926 Delivered responses may be delivered to the above address ONLY between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays observed by the Kittitas County. Responses must be received by 5:00 PM on February 16th, 2021. Responses received after this date and time will not be considered. Upon timely receipt of responses, Kittitas County shall review and schedule interviews of qualified proposals. Kittitas County reserves the right to reject any and all responses and reserves the right to waive any irregularities or informalities in any responses or in the submittal procedure, when to do so would be to the advantage of Kittitas County. Respondents are cautioned that this is a Request for Proposal, and Kittitas County reserves the right to reject offers, including any and all offers, when such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of Kittitas County. Proposal Requirements 5 Interested parties are encouraged to contact Lieutenant Edward Buntin at the Kittitas County Jail at (509) 962-7527 with questions or to clarify any part of the RFP. Following review of all qualified responses, interviews of qualified proposals, selection of a suitable contract negotiations, a recommendation will be made to the Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners by the Sheriff’s Office. Following Commission approval, the Sheriff’s Office will complete contract negotiations. Any costs incurred by respondents in preparing or submitting responses to this RFP are the vendor’s sole responsibility. Kittitas County will not reimburse any respondent for any costs incurred for the proposal. In submitting a response to this RFP, the vendor agrees not to use the results therefrom as part of any news release or commercial advertising without prior written approval of Kittitas County. Respondents are advised that all information submitted in response to the RFP is part of public record to the extent required by the Washington State Public Records Act. Kittitas County assumes no responsibility for the release of information pursuant to the law governing public records. The successful respondent, if awarded a contract with Kittitas County, agrees not to discriminate in its employment on account of race, marital status, religion, age, sex, national origin, or handicap. In addition, the selected respondent shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations affecting his or her performance and will hold the County harmless against any and all claims arising from the violation thereof. Kittitas County complies with all ADA requirements, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.