Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Professional Services Contract with Flagstaff Child & Family Counseling Center, PLLC.  to provide traumatic counseling services for public safety employees, plus related services.

The proposed Professional Services Contract will enable the City to offer up to 36 counseling sessions per year to peace offers and fire fighters who are exposed to traumatic events, as required by a new state law effective August 3, 2018, plus related critical incident stress management and critical incident debriefing services and the pre-employment screening MMPI for peace officers and fire fighters. The counseling sessions are optional for the employee.

The City has an Employee Assistance Program offered through the contractor Deer Oaks.  This contract was procured by Northern Arizona Public Employees Benefits Trust (NAPEBT) through a competitive process earlier this year.  This contract will remain in place, but Deer Oaks currently is not able to offer all the services required by the new law.

During the fiscal year 2017-2018, the City of Flagstaff spent approximately $284,692.55 for Employee Assistance Program services.  This total spend included both the basic and optional services requested as part of the NAPEBT RFP 2018-01.  The City of Flagstaff has budgeted for the services included in the proposed contract for Flagstaff Child & Family Counseling Center, PLLC.  There is $34,000 budgeted for the traumatic event counseling and related critical incident stress management and critical incident stress debriefing services in the non-departmental account.  The pre-employment screening MMPI is budgeted separately within the Flagstaff Police Department and Flagstaff Fire Department as part of the hiring process.  Based on spending in FY2017-2018 the anticipated amount for these pre-employment services is approximately $252,000.

Providing traumatic event counseling for public safety employees ensures the City is providing effective resources for employees meeting the Team Flagstaff Strategic Plan objective of investing in our people and the City Council goal of attracting and retaining quality staff.

No.

1.  Approve the contract with Flagstaff Child & Family Counseling Center, PLLC.

2.  Not approve the contract with Flagstaff Child & Family Counseling Center, PLLC, reject the proposal response, and direct staff to re-solicit the Request for Proposal so that the City may offer services per the new law.

NAPEBT has historically provided an Employee Assistance Program for participating agencies that include a multitude of services, such as providing evaluation and treatment, on an outpatient basis, for substance abuse, marital issues, family/personal issues, work relationship issues, conflict resolution, anger management, and other psychological and behavioral difficulties.  Other services to the organization include crisis intervention, mediation, mandatory referral process, risk assessment screening, substance abuse assessment, and employer consultations. 

Coconino Community College, on behalf of NAPEBT, conducted a formal joint Request for Proposals (RFP) in January of 2018 for all participants.  The previous contract for an Employee Assistance Program provider was set to expire on June 30, 2018, with a unilateral extension not to exceed 90 days.  The RFP scope of work included long-term counseling and related critical incident stress management and critical incident stress debriefing services and the pre-employment screening MMPI along with professional services for traumatic incident counseling services for City of Flagstaff Public Safety Employees, which became a requirement through the State Legislature adopted House Bill 205 which amended Section 38-672 of Arizona Revised Statutes, Traumatic event counseling for public safety employees; report; definitions.  The law as amended requires the City to provide up to twelve (12) counseling sessions for peace officers and firefighters who are exposed to one of the following traumatic events (e.g. visually witnessing the death or maiming of one or more human beings or the immediate aftermath; responding to or being directly involved in a dangerous crime against children; requiring rescuing in the line of duty where one's life was endangered; using deadly force or being subjected to deadly force in the line of duty; witnessing death of another peace officer or firefighters in the line of duty; and responding to or being directly involved in investigation of drowning or near drowning of a child). 

In addition, if the licensed mental health professional determines the peace officer or firefighter needs additional visits, the peace officer or firefighter is entitled to up to an additional twenty-four (24) visits.  The amendments also include requirements for the use of paid time off during treatment, a continuation of pay and benefits, light duty, payment of licensed mental health professionals,  and annual reporting requirements.

The NAPEBT Employee Assistance Program provider, Deer Oaks, provides short-term counseling services and was unable to respond to some of the optional services requested such as the additional twenty-four (24) visits required by the amended Section 38-672 and the pre-employment screening MMPI for public safety personnel.  Thus, the City of Flagstaff chose another responder to the NAPEBT RFP 2018-01, Flagstaff Child & Family Counseling Center, PLLC to provide the long-term counseling and related critical incident stress management and critical incident stress debriefing services and the pre-employment screening MMPI. 
 

The proposed Professional Services Contract will enable the City to comply with the new law, which amended A.R.S. Section 38-672 of Arizona Revised Statues, Traumatic event counseling for public safety employees; report; definitions.

None.