In 2005, the Nevada Legislature approved AB 175 which called for creation of a centrally located drop-off triage center in Washoe County for mentally ill persons and chronic inebriates.  The legislation stipulates that the State of Nevada will provide up to one third of the funding (up to $500,000 annually) and the remaining two thirds to be provided by local governments and hospitals. 

In 2008, the Community Triage Center (CTC) opened on the campus of the Community Assistance Center in downtown Reno and was operated by WestCare Nevada, Inc. (WestCare).  WestCare operated the CTC continuously until April of 2018 when WestCare vacated the CTC with no advance notice to the community.  This exit has resulted in a gap in behavioral health services within our community.

In August of 2018, the City of Reno issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) seeking a qualified contractor to operate the CTC.  In October of 2018, an RFQ review panel interviewed two respondents: Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital and The Well Care Foundation, Inc. (Well Care).  Each respondent was scored by the review panel and Well Care was selected as the top respondent.

On February 4, 2019, the Community Homelessness Advisory Board directed staff to move forward with drafting an interlocal agreement between City of Reno, City of Sparks, Washoe County, and the local hospitals for funding Well Care as the community’s new CTC provider.

On April 12, 2019 a meeting to discuss a funding agreement was hosted by the City of Reno.  The meeting was attended by representatives from the City of Sparks, the City of Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Saint Mary’s, Renown, Well Care, Volunteers of America, and REMSA.  Following this meeting, it became apparent that the hospitals needed additional time to determine whether they will participate in funding the CTC and, if so, at what level of funding. In the interim, the City and County Managers are proposing the attached “Agreement Among the Well Care Foundation, Inc. and Local Governments with Washoe County Relating to the Provision of Funds for the Community Triage Center” (Agreement) to fund the CTC and leverage the available State of Nevada funding. If the hospitals decide to participate in funding the CTC they will enter into their own agreement with Well Care.

The proposed agreement is between Well Care, Washoe County, City of Reno and City of Sparks. Collectively, the three local governments are to provide $372,000 in cash support and $402,862 of in-kind support, including case workers, building space, building maintenance, and staff monitoring of the CTC. Per the terms of the agreement, the City of Sparks would provide $87,000 in cash from the general fund and $14,816 of in-kind support for the CTC. The $87,000 cash contribution is included in the fiscal year 2020 budget the City Council approved on May 28^th.  This amount is the same as that provided by Sparks for the CTC in its previous years of operation.   

The scope of mental health, substance abuse and detoxification services to be provided by Well Care at the CTC are specified in Section 3 and Attachment A of the agreement. The local government funds are contingent upon Well Care receiving funding from the State of Nevada and other sources for the remainder of its CTC budget (see CTC Budget Well Care) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020. Per Section 2.D. of the agreement, should Well Care fail to secure the State funding the agreement shall automatically terminate on January 15, 2020.

The agreement obligates Well Care to provide monthly reports to the local governments regarding the activities of the CTC, including various data on the persons served.

1. City Council may approve the agreement providing $87,000 in Fiscal Year 2020 to Well Care for operation of the Community Triage Center.
2. City Council may reject the agreement providing $87,000 in Fiscal Year 2020 to Well Care for operation of the Community Triage Center and provide direction to the City Manager.

I move to approve the Agreement (AC-5558) among the Well Care Foundation, Inc. and local governments within Washoe County relating to the provision of funds for the Community Triage Center, in the amount of $87,000 for fiscal year 2020.