Orange County Supervisors overrode their staff’s recommendation last month to hang onto their primary mental health contractor, offering a rare public rebuke of county executives with some supervisors saying the staff bungled their review of the program.
The decision ended several months of debate and reopened access for dozens of residents seeking aid which had been put on pause while the future contracts were up in the air.
Now, county staff are continuing to work with their longtime contractor Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services after supervisors narrowly voted 3-2 on June 24 to extend their partnership despite concerns over how they were going to pay for services.
Didi Hirsch is responsible for delivering therapy and support services to people who’ve lost loved ones to suicide or call a suicide support hotline, according to a county staff report, which received nearly 10,000 calls last year alone.
County staff recommended that supervisors drop Didi Hirsch in favor of the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance because they were certified to bill through MediCal.
The primary sticking point came over Didi Hirsch’s inability to bill through MediCal, the program that reimburses the county for medical services it provides. Without MediCal insurance, the county government would be on the hook to pay for services.
While Didi Hirsch is in the process of getting approved to bill through MediCal in Orange County, they are not yet certified and would have to complete extra paperwork for the county to be paid back according to county staff.
Ian Kemmer, the county’s director of behavioral health services, called it a “risk” to move forward without that certification.
“That is something they (Didi Hirsch) should’ve been able to answer to,” Kemmer said at the board’s June 24 meeting.
County supervisors were split over the final decision, with some questioning whether their staff did a good job in reviewing the final proposal.
“My concern with this whole process is just that: the process,” said Supervisor Katrina Foley, who ultimately voted to keep Didi Hirsch. “I don’t agree with how this all played out.”
Foley highlighted how Didi Hirsch scored the highest for quality and experience, costs and compliance, but Kemmer highlighted how they fell short in one important category – their cost.
“The process is good,” Kemmer said.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento agreed with Kemmer, saying that they couldn’t reconsider the contract just because they got messages from dozens of people upset over Didi Hirsch losing the contract.
“You get a shot, you present it, you move forward based on that,” Sarmiento said. “I think there’s some deference, much deference shown to staff on these because we expect these procurements are done objectively.”
Wagner disagreed, saying it was the right of the board to reconsider based on their perspective.
“We have a right to say based on our input we don’t feel this RFP is perfect,” Wagner said. “This board has the right to do that Mr. Kemmer.”
Wagner also argued that the Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance’s name alone would steer people away.
“The Asian Pacific Islanders Community does not speak to anyone outside that community as the place to go in a moment of help,” Wagner said. “Picking somebody that is so apparently specialized strikes me as immediately putting us behind the 8 ball.”
“Ethnic minorities don’t have the luxury of being able to do that,” Sarmiento said. “I lost my sister last year, and I didn’t look at the title. I didn’t say I’m not going to call Didi Hirsch … if you’re starting off from that point of view, boy we’ve got a lot to work on.”
Supervisor Janet Nguyen ultimately joined Foley and Wagner to approve the program with the encouragement that Didi Hirsch work with the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Alliance.
“I don’t know Didi Hirsch for the life of me until today,” Nguyen said. “I just want the best provider with experience.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.