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CC - 1) Approval of a Five-Year Agreement with Vital Medical Services, LLC. to Provide In-House Medical Service Provisions for Arrestees (Pre-Booking Medical Clearances) and Manage the Department’s Naloxone HCI (Narcan) Program in an Amount Not-to Exceed $525,000.00; and 2) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a Budget Amendment in the Amount of $45,000.00 to Increase the Funds Available for In-House Medical Services Provisions for Arrestees.
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Meeting Date: July 13, 2020
Contact Person/Dept: Sergeant Andrew Bellante/Police Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6316
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (07/08/2020);
Department Approval: Acting Police Chief Manny Cid (06/30/2020)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve a five-year agreement with Vital Medical Services, LLC. to provide in-house medical service provisions for arrestees (pre-booking medical clearances) and manage the Department’s Naloxone HCI (Narcan) Program in an amount not-to-exceed $525,000.00; and (2) approve of a budget amendment in the amount of $45,000.00 to increase the funds available for in-house medical services provisions for arrestees (budget amendment requires four-fifths vote).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Culver City Police Department (CCPD) is required to provide medical services to arrestees known to have or who are declaring medical issues or injuries prior to booking and housing in the CCPD jail. Additionally, the Department routinely requires medical services in the form of blood draws for those arrested for driving under the influence (“DUI”) or being under the influence of a controlled substance. Arrestees requiring pre-booking medical clearance, medical care, or blood draws are transported by police officers to local hospitals. The cost of the hospital emergency room visit is borne by the Department. Arrestees may also require follow-up medical treatments for wound care or the dispersal of medicine; these activities require additional police transports. Transporting arrestees places a burden on the Department’s patrol personnel and takes away valuable time from responding to the community’s public safety needs.
On November 17, 2015, the City entered into a Medical Services Agreement with Vital Medical Services, LLC (“Vital”), for in-house medical services for CCPD arrestees and inmates. Medical services covered under the agreement include pre-booking medical clearances provided to arrestees who exhibit or complain of medical conditions that police personnel are unable or unqualified to administer treatment for, blood draws taken from persons arrested for DUI, the testing of arrestees and employees for communicable diseases, oversight and management of the departments Naloxone (Narcan) Program, and the transportation of individuals to the hospital who meet the criteria for a Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150 hold, on an as needed basis.
Under the agreement, all medical services are administered by experienced, licensed medical personnel under the supervision of a licensed emergency care physician. Vital is also committed by the agreement to provide medically certified personnel on an on-call basis, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. After being called by the Police Department’s personnel, Vital staff members respond to the city jail, providing arrestees with immediate medical treatment. The service provided by Vital has been reliable and exemplary over the past five years.
The cost of a hospital emergency room visit varies from $1,008 to $2,705 per visit, depending on the medical services provided. Along with the staff hours spent by police officers transporting and supervising arrestees, the overall hospital emergency room is extremely expensive. It is common for officers to spend hours with an arrestee in an emergency room, which takes away valuable time from responding to the community’s public safety needs.
Vital’s rate for a pre-booking medical clearance examination is $542.00 per arrestee. A blood draw is $210.00 per draw. The financial savings in relation to using Vital Medical Services as opposed to the hospital emergency room is considered substantial. Staff estimates that the use of Vital Medical Services saves patrol officers approximately 600 hours of field time on an annual basis, directly resulting in a positive impact on the Department’s response time and overtime expenditures.
Culver City Municipal Code (“CCMC”) Section 3.07.055, “Exceptions to Bidding Requirements,” provides that bidding requirements set forth in the CCMC are not applicable under certain enumerated circumstances. CCMC Section 3.07.055.C provides an exception for sole sources, as follows:
“When the requesting department determines, in writing, after conducting a good faith review of the available sources, that there is only one source for the required equipment, good, supply or service. The department requesting sole source procurement shall provide written evidence to support a sole source determination”.
Staff has determined that Vital is the only company that can provide this unique service at this time, as Vital is the only service in existence delivering facility-based medical support to municipal law enforcement agencies. (See Attachment 1)
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The projected annual cost of Vita’s services is $105,000.00. The City Council Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 includes $60,000 for the Agreement for in-house medical service provisions for arrestees (10140200.619800). The City received the scope of service and compensation schedule from the vendor after the Department submitted its FY2020/2021 Proposed Budget. A budget amendment in the amount of $45,000.00 is requested from the Unappropriated General Fund Reserves to Other Contractual Services (10140200.619800). Funding for future fiscal years will be requested during budget adoption. A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote.
ATTACHMENTS
2020-07-13_ATT - Vital Medical Services, LLC Sole Source Specialty Medicine Provider
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Approve a five-year agreement with Vital Medical Services, LLC. to provide in-house medical services provisions for arrestees (pre-booking medical clearances), as well as DUI blood draws, and manage the Department’s Naloxone (Narcan) Program in an amount not-to-exceed $525,000.00; and
2. Approve a budget amendment to transfer $45,000.00 from the Unappropriated General Fund Reserves to Other Contractual Services (10140200.619800) (A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote); and
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.