Explanation
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this ordinance is to appropriate $10,000 in the City’s General Fund, within the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund, to Columbus Public Health (CPH) to provide for a $20,000 contract with Equitas Health, formerly the AIDS Resource Center, to continue a partnership with CPH’s Harm Reduction Program. Columbus, along with other major cities, has been plagued by an opiate epidemic that is a crisis of unparalleled proportion, with devastating, often deadly consequences. In an effort to combat this drug problem, Columbus Public Health (CPH) has initiated a community-wide comprehensive Harm Reduction Program to address heroin and opiate use before it becomes a local epidemic similar to other communities in the state. Part of this effort includes making Naloxone readily available to heroin and opiate users in order to save lives. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, reverses the effects of overdose for opioids such as heroin, and for an even more deadly combination on the rise, heroin mixed with the powerful opiate Fentanyl. To help with this effort, the Board of Health wishes to expand its partnership with Equitas Health to provide for the procurement and distribution of Naloxone and to provide counseling services to users.
This ordinance authorizes the appropriation of $10,000 to CPH within the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund of the City’s General Fund. It also authorizes the Board of Health to enter into a contract with Equitas Health to support the City’s Harm Reduction Program in an amount not to exceed $20,000.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE: Equitas Health (Contract Compliance No. CC004721 - expires 02/17/2018) is a not-for-profit organization and therefore exempt from Contract Compliance certification.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency action is requested to avoid delays in the implementation of these services.
FISCAL IMPACT: Total cost of the contract is $20,000. $10,000 for this contract is available in the 2016 budget within the Health Special Revenue Fund, Fund No. 2250. This ordinance authorizes the appropriation and the expenditure of $10,000 to/by CPH within the City’s General Fund, Fund No. 1000, out of the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund, Subfund No. 100016.
Title
To authorize the appropriation of $10,000.00 to Columbus Public Health in the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund of the City’s General Fund; to authorize the Board of Health to enter into a contract with Equitas Health for support services to the City’s Harm Reduction Program; to authorize the expenditure of $20,000.00 ($10,000.00 from the Health Special Revenue Fund and $10,000.00 from the City’s General Fund); and to declare an emergency. ($20,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Columbus Public Health (CPH) has initiated a community-wide comprehensive Harm Reduction Program to address heroin and opiate use before it becomes a local epidemic similar to other communities in the state; and,
WHEREAS, the Board of Health has a need for support services to the City’s Harm Reduction Program to assist in the procurement and distribution of Naloxone and to provide counseling services to drug users; and,
WHEREAS, the Equitas Health has the necessary experience and expertise to provide said services; and,
WHEREAS, $10,000 is available in the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund of the City’s General Fund for appropriation to CPH to provide partial funding for the contract with Equitas Health; and,
WHEREAS, emergency action is requested to avoid delays in the implementation of needed services; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of Columbus Public Health in that it is immediately necessary to appropriate these funds to the Health Department and to authorize the Board of Health to contract with Equitas Health to allow services to proceed without delay and for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; Now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That from the unappropriated monies in the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund of the City’s General Fund, Fund No. 1000, Subfund No. 100016, and from all monies estimated to come into said Fund/Subfund from any and all sources during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016, the sum of $10,000.00 is hereby appropriated to the Health Department, Division No. 5001, per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the Board of Health is hereby authorized and directed to enter into a contract with Equitas Health to provide support to the City’s Harm Reduction Program by assisting in the procurement and distribution of Naloxone and providing counseling services to drug users in an amount not to exceed $20,000.
SECTION 3. That to pay the costs of said contract, the expenditure of $20,000 is hereby authorized, $10,000 from the Health Special Revenue Fund, Fund No. 2250, Department of Health, Division No. 5001, and $10,000 from the City’s General Fund, Fund No. 1000, out of the Public Safety Initiatives Subfund, Subfund No. 100016, per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. This contract is being awarded in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Code dealing with awarding not-for-profit service contracts.
SECTION 5. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 6. That for reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.