RFP 2024-013 Crisis Hotline Services

Agency:	The Center for Health Care Service
State:	Texas
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
Posted Date:	Mar 28, 2024
Due Date:	Apr 29, 2024
Bid Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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THE CENTER FOR HEALTH CARE

SERVICES

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

(“RFP”)

(RFP-2024-013)

for

Crisis Hotline Services

Release Date: 03/28/2024

Proposals Due: 04/29/2024 at 12:00PM Central Standard Time (CST)

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002 - TABLE OF CONTENTS

002 - TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................................................. 2

003 - BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

005 - ASSURANCES ............................................................................................................................................................ 12

006 - TERM OF CONTRACT................................................................................................................................................ 13

007 - PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE .............................................................................................................................. 13

008 - PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................................... 13

009 - SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL ................................................................................................................................... 14

010 - RESTRICTIONS ON COMMUNICATION ................................................................................................................... 15

011 - EVALUATION OF CRITERIA ...................................................................................................................................... 15

012 - AWARD OF CONTRACT AND RESERVATION OF RIGHTS .................................................................................... 16

013 - SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 17

014 - INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS.................................................................................................................................. 17

015 - RFP ATTACHMENTS .................................................................................................................................................. 20

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003 - BACKGROUND

The Bexar County Board of Trustees for Mental Health Mental Retardation Services d/b/a The Center for Health Care

Services (“CENTER”) is a multi-facility community mental health and mental retardation Center created under the authority

of Section 534.001 of the Texas Health and Safety Code by its sponsoring agencies, Bexar County and the Bexar County

Hospital District d/b/a University Health. The CENTER has been providing services to Bexar County residents experiencing

mental health, intellectual developmental disabilities and/or substance use issues for over fifty-five years and is the Texas

Health and Human Services Commission-designated Local Mental Health Authority for Bexar County, Texas. The CENTER

is considered a quasi-governmental entity, a political subdivision of the state of Texas, but is not a Texas state agency. The

CENTER’S administrative offices are located at 6800 Park Ten Blvd. Suite 200-S, San Antonio, Texas 78213.

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004 - SCOPE OF SERVICES

The CENTER is seeking Crisis Hotline Services from a qualified provider, as further defined in this Request for Proposals

(RFP). The crisis hotline services developed through this RFP will be designated for individuals who reside in Bexar

County who are experiencing a behavioral health concern or crisis that may be attributable to one or any combination of

mental illness, chemical dependency, and/or developmental disability as well as, any individual who would benefit from

such an intervention in order to increase stability within the community and reduce unnecessary use of hospital level

behavioral health care and/or criminal justice involvement.

The CENTER believes a dedicated crisis hotline is an integral part of the crisis service continuum. The goal of the Crisis

Hotline is to provide a single dedicated hotline number that will be answered by a qualified and trained individual 24 hours

a day 7 days a week. Best practice for a crisis hotline service is the use of a consistent, uniform suicide risk assessment

for all crisis calls.

The CENTER’S Crisis Services will be available to all Bexar County residents in need of such services by way of The

CENTER’S Crisis Hotline (“Crisis Hotline”). Referrals to the crisis services will be received from private individuals,

agencies, law enforcement, school personnel, hospitals etc. via the dedicated Crisis Hotline which will be available 24

hours a day/seven days a week/365 days a year that will provide a rapid response to all individuals referred. The Crisis

Hotline operating hours would be 365 days a year (366 days on a leap year), 24 hours per day, and 7 days per week.

As a vital part of the crisis service continuum and supportive response for individuals in Bexar County, all calls will be

received through a single dedicated hotline number. Successful proposals will include a single dedicated crisis hotline that

operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Crisis Hotline will be answered by trained and qualified

individuals. The CENTER’S Crisis Hotline may provide telephonic crisis assessment, intervention and/or information and

referrals for services including but not limited, counseling, substance abuse, food, housing, pantries, and other community

resources. Callers can ask questions and share concerns about oneself or someone they know who may be experiencing

difficult life changes or challenges including mental illness, substance use, developmental disability, and/or thoughts of

self-harm, suicide, or homicide. Best practice for a crisis hotline service is the use of a consistent, uniform suicide risk

assessment in addition to supportive counseling, linkage, and referrals for all crisis calls. Crisis hotline services must have

a policy in place for responding to individuals with imminent risk and for follow-up. Research indicates that follow-up with

hotline callers and people recently discharged from an emergency department or inpatient setting has positive results for

both individuals and providers of mental health services. Given that nationally, the suicide risk of an individual is highest

one week after discharge from an inpatient setting, the 24/7 availability of crisis services is an integral component of the

crisis services continuum. Crisis services that may need to be addressed by the Crisis Hotline are not limited to suicide

prevention, but also include, and are not limited to depression, anxiety, sexual assault, domestic violence, grief, runaways,

elderly concerns, emergency disaster crisis response, and/or critical incident stress debriefing.

The contractor shall own and be responsible for maintenance of the recording equipment and preservation of the

recordings and any protected health information that may be stored therein related to the operation of the hotline. The

hotline shall be answered by a trained Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP-CS), who will assess the nature and

seriousness of the call. CONTRACTOR agrees to employ only individuals who at a minimum meet the qualifications of a

Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP-CS) as defined by the Texas Health & Human Services Commission. It is

understood that from time to time the Provider may need to employ "contracted or pool" employees to ensure quality

services. It is the Provider's responsibility to ensure that these individuals: (l) meet minimum requirements referenced

above; (2) that they have been trained in the crisis on-call protocol; (3) demonstrate competency in the work to be

performed; and (4) are clinically supervised by a Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts.

The CONTRACTOR shall maintain the ability to serve hearing impaired as well as non-English proficient callers. Calls will

be answered within 30 seconds and no emergent or urgent caller shall be placed on “hold." All calls where an assessment

is indicated will be recorded on the system database. A monthly report will be submitted to CENTER.

The CONTRACTOR warrants that all persons providing services have completed and are current with all relevant training

requirements of CENTER, the Texas Health & Human Services Commission, and other regulatory bodies, and shall

provide The CENTER with training records as requested. Required training shall be completed prior to providing services.

The CONTRACTOR shall report any allegations of abuse and neglect in accordance with applicable state laws and rules

of the Texas Health & Human Services Commission and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

The CONTRACTOR shall certify that it has adopted and implemented policies which capture the spirit and intent of the

workplace guidelines adopted by the State, and AIDS/HIV confidentiality guidelines, consistent with state and federal law.

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The CONTRACTOR shall retain all records pertinent to an awarded contract for a period of seven (7) years from the

expiration or termination of the contract.

The CONTRACTOR shall comply with relevant standards, including those set out by this RFP, the State of Texas'

Community Mental Health Standards, the Texas Administrative Code (especially 25 Texas Administrative Code,

Subchapter G Mental Health Community Services Standards), the Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC),

HHSC Crisis Service Standards, certifications, accreditations, licenses, and any other professional and educational

qualifications as required, throughout the term of the contract.

The CONTRACTOR shall be accredited, as an entity, by the American Association of Suicidology ("AAS"), meeting the

minimum scoring requirements and other standards required by the Texas Health & Human Services Commission. The

CONTRACTOR agrees to report to CENTER any allegation that any person providing services has had his/her license,

certification, accreditation or other qualification revoked or has committed an action that constitutes grounds for the denial

or revocation of such by the issuing agency. Failure by CONTRACTOR to report such denial or revocation to CENTER or

to remove such person from providing services shall constitute grounds for immediate termination of the contract by The

CENTER.

Pursuant to the Texas Health and Safety Code Section 534.060, the CONTRACTOR shall allow the State, including the

Office of the State Auditor, CENTER, its representatives, including independent financial auditors, or other authorized

governmental agencies unrestricted access to all facilities, data, and other information under control of the Successful

Bidder, as necessary, to enable the State or the CENTER to audit, monitor, and review all financial or programmatic

activities in services associated with an awarded contract.

The CONTRACTOR agrees not to subcontract any services until approval of such subcontractors are approved by

CENTER in writing. Any subcontractors or employees of CONTRACTOR are the direct responsibility of the

CONTRACTOR and shall be subject to the same standards of service as is CONTRACTOR.

The CONTRACTOR shall comply with CENTER’S quality improvement standards for Consumer services, charts, records,

program fidelity requirements and risk management, including incident reports, and shall complete a Plan of Improvement

in a form specified by CENTER if quality management targets are not met.

The CONTRACTOR shall establish and conduct corporate compliance reviews, assessments, and implement systematic

processes to assess corporate compliance issues, take corrective measures, and continually monitor compliance

of its crisis intervention helpline program, as evidenced in their current Quality Assurance Program.

The CONTRACTOR hereby certifies that criminal history record checks have been conducted on CONTRACTR’S

employees, whose duties place them in direct contact with clients in accordance with Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann.

§533.007 (Vernon 1992) and Chapter 250, the Texas Government Code Chapter 411.115, and 25 Texas Administrative

Code Chapter 414, Subchapter K, prior to the employee providing services and routinely thereafter, as required by state

and federal law and regulations. Should any employee have a criminal history/conviction relevant to its employment then

the CONTRACTOR shall immediately remove the employee from any direct contact with clients/consumers. If

CONTRACTOR’S employee has such a conviction, and CONTRACTOR fails to remove such employee, then the contract

may be terminated without prior notice.

The CONTRACTOR shall ensure that appropriate representatives of CONTRACTOR staff attend meetings or conference

calls when requested by CENTER. The CENTER will notify CONTRACTOR in advance of the date(s) of the meeting or

conference call.

The CONTRACTOR may receive from CENTER or may receive or create on behalf of CENTER, certain confidential

health or medical information ("Protected Health Information" or "PHI"). This PHI is subject to protection under and it is

the intent of the parties to be in full compliance with state and federal law, including the Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act, Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 181, and implementing regulations issued pursuant thereto,

and the requirements of Division A, Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, subtitled the

Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, Pub. L. No. 111-005 (“HITECH Act”), and their

implementing regulations (collectively "HIPAA" herein) to the extent such law and regulations apply during the term

hereof.

The CONTRACTOR shall hold all protected health information ("PHI") confidential except to the extent that disclosure is

required by Federal or State Law, including the Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552, and Texas Government Code.

TEX. GOV'T CODE ANN.§§ 552.001 et seq., as amended. PHI is defined in 45 CFR § 164.50 l and is limited to

information created or received by the CONTRACTOR from or on behalf of CENTER.

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RFP 2024-013 Crisis Hotline Services

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