Fort Bragg Advocate-News Staff Writer
The picture of how the county hopes to privatize its mental health services is emerging from behind closed doors, prompting hopes the process will be more open as it unravels.
At the May 15 Board of Supervisors meeting a long discussed Request for Proposals (RFP) is ready to be presented, sources say. The board also meets on the following Monday and Tuesday. The RFP, which will seek bids from private contractors to run adult mental health services, was crafted by Health and Human Services Director Stacy Cryer and County CEO Carmel Angelo, the Mental Health Board was told at its March meeting.
“There should have been a public hearing process set up both for before and after. Prior to the release, public input on what the RFP should include was needed,” said Paul Kaplan, organizer for SEIU Local 1021. He said the union was not consulted and only heard second hand about the RFP, which could result in more cuts to county staff.
It will be up to county supervisors to set up any public hearings. Fifth District Supervisor Dan Hamburg expressed hopes that as much of the RFP be done by local agencies as possible, rather than contractors from outside the county. Hamburg, who has been wondering when the RFP would come out since he was elected more than a year ago, remained baffled about its progress on Tuesday. Kaplan discussed the forthcoming plan with Angelo and others and says the county hopes to have a single contractor takeover as much of what the county does as possible. One fear of critics, especially those on the Coast, is that services might end up entirely focused on Ukiah.
Will people living in remote areas be required to make the arduous and often financially impossible trek to Ukiah for some services?
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