TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Kim Summers, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Ivan Holler, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Agreement with Care Solace to Coordinate Access to Mental
Health Services
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title
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RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Approve an Agreement with Care Solace to coordinate access to mental health services for
residents of the City of Murrieta;
Authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement; and
Authorize a budget appropriation of $166,500 in the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Operating Budget
using Opioid Settlement funds.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
None.
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Coordinate and deliver responsive, effective community services.
BACKGROUND
On January 17, 2023, the City Council appointed Mayor Pro Tem Stone and Council Member Levell to the Homelessness Services Subcommittee (Subcommittee) and directed that the Subcommittee include a Mental Health component. As presented by Mayor Pro Tem Stone and Council Member Levell, the stated purpose of the Mental Health Advisory component of the Homelessness Subcommittee was proposed to be as follows:
• Create educational and informational resources regarding mental health, including a website with a directory of social services;
• Increase awareness of mental health issues and prevention resources related to mental health; and
• Promote existing and new initiatives through cooperation with the County of Riverside and other agencies.
At a subsequent meeting with staff on February 13, 2023, Subcommittee members asked for additional information about Care Solace, a company that provides mental health coordination services. City Manager Kim Summers first contacted Care Solace at a City Managers conference in January 2023. And a representative provided an overview of the program and its benefits.
On April 14, 2023, at a scheduled Mental Health meeting, Care Solace presented information about their services to the Mental Health component of the Subcommittee. Several members of the public also attended the meeting.
Subsequently, at the Budget Workshop on May 2, 2023, the City Council directed staff to include funding in the upcoming budget for a potential future agreement with Care Solace to provide mental health referral services. Grant and Lawsuit Settlement funds were identified as potential sources to fund this agreement.
Care Solace
Care Solace is a mental health coordination service designed to connect individuals needing mental health services with qualified mental health service providers. This eliminates the need for individuals to spend time searching for qualified providers and dealing with complex systems when they may be the least equipped to do so because of an immediate crisis. Care Solace currently works with several school districts in California to coordinate access to mental health care for students and their families, including the Murrieta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD). More recently, Care Solace has expanded its mental health coordination services to include cities, whereby all the residents and businesses of the city have access to the same coordination services as school districts.
Because Care Solace currently contracts with MVUSD, staff was able to negotiate a lower price for their coordination services. The lower price reflects that portion of the City of Murrieta’s (City) population that is already receiving services from Care Solace through the school district.
Access to mental health coordination services is provided through an online platform (which allows for self-referrals), emails, text messages, phone, or video chat. Access is available 24/7 and in approximately 200 languages. Rapid access to services is crucial in a crisis.
Other unique features include using a “warm handoff” where Care Solace facilitates contact between the mental health service provider and the individual seeking care to ensure the service provider meets their needs. In addition, first responders can also contact Care Solace directly from the field when working with a 5150 WIC individual. Care Solace can be used to supplement Community Behavioral Health Assessment Team members by providing support to the family of the individual or to the individual themselves if there are no family members available or even if the individual does not meet 5150 WIC thresholds but still needs help.
Care Solace will also utilize proprietary case management and referral tracking software to provide monthly reporting to the City, including the total number of users, confirmed appointments, “warm handoffs,” and insurance pathways used to provide service. All such reports are fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
If approved, staff will need to work with Care Solace to:
• Receive training on Care Solace platforms and services;
• Develop website branding;
• Announce new services that are available to residents;
• Integrate referrals from first responders; and
• Review monthly service metrics.
Sole Source
Care Solace is unique in that they provide mental health coordination services using a variety of mental health providers. After completing substantial online research, staff was unable to locate any other mental health coordination services that offered:
• 24/7 access and support;
• Streamlined process to connect individuals needing mental health services with mental health providers;
• “Warm handoff” process; and
• Coordination with first responders.
The Murrieta Municipal Code Section 3.08.280 allows for exceptions to the competitive bidding process. Upon approval, the City Council acknowledges that the competitive bidding process was not followed in the selection of Care Solace.
FISCAL IMPACT
The annual cost of the Care Solace Agreement is $166,500. Funding is available to cover the cost of this agreement in the Lawsuit Settlement fund, 338. Staff requests a budget appropriation of $166,500 in the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Operating Budget.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Agreement with Care Solace