Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus, Division of Public Safety received three years of Overdose Data to Action funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via a sub award from Franklin County Public Health (FCPH). This sub award addresses the local opioid crisis by expanding capacity of Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) and increasing linkage to RREACT outreach and education services. This ordinance accepts and appropriates year one project funds totaling $371,523. The full project award period is three years with a total award amount of $1,114,569. The 2019 award budget period is November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020. The full award period is November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2022. This ordinance authorizes an appropriation of funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements.
Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) is an innovative outreach effort addressing the opioid crisis ravaging Columbus, Ohio. RREACT team members go out into the community and do face-to-face follow up visits with substance users revived from opioid overdose by police or fire first responders but then refuse immediate transport to clinical facilities thereby bypassing treatment and recovery resources available through emergency rooms across the city. RREACT connects with survivors in their neighborhoods within 48 hours of overdose. The team includes a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained peace officer, a paramedic, a social worker and a trauma specialist. The goal of this multi-disciplinary outreach team is to help stabilize the household in an effort to reduce barriers to accessing drug and/or behavioral treatment for the substance user.
CDC funding will expand mobile crisis response capacity with the addition of a second RREACT outreach squad. The additional squad will provide outreach in high-risk areas of Columbus, specifically townships within the County heavily impacted by opioid use but lacking infrastructure and funding to provide outreach through their local EMS and fire teams. In addition to direct outreach services, RREACT leadership will build relationships with suburban law enforcement teams to gain countywide buy-in for adopting naloxone/NARCAN© administration as standard protocol for opioid overdose incidents. CDC funds will support total compensation for one CDF paramedic/firefighter, one CIT trained peace officer; a vehicle for outreach and patient transport; contract costs for one additional substance use case manager and one cell phone for the second outreach team.
EMERGENCY ACTION: This ordinance is submitted as an emergency as to not delay program services and to allow the financial transactions to be posted to the City’s accounting system as soon as possible.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes the acceptance and appropriation of $371,523.00 in year one U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention award monies from Franklin County Public Health to fund expansion of RREACT outreach activities. This initiative does not generate any revenue nor require a City match.
Sub recipient Agreement Number: CDCOD2A (this is a federal award administered as a sub award via Franklin County Public Health):
§ Budget period: November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020- $371,523
§ Total Project Period: November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2022- $1,114,569
**Note: Year 2 and 3, award funds to be appropriated to grant project account upon future receipt of annual executed contracts
§ No City match required
Title
To authorize the Public Safety Director to accept U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Overdose Data to Action program funding via a sub award from Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) in the amount of $371,523.00 for year one project expenses related to a three year project; to appropriate award funds to Columbus Public Safety for expansion of Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team outreach activities; to authorize the appropriation of $371,523.00 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grants Fund 2220; and to declare an emergency. ($371,523.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Franklin County Public Health sub awarded the City of Columbus $371,523 in federal U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds for the first year of this grant to expand Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) outreach services to high-risk, underserved areas within Franklin County; and,
WHEREAS, it is necessary to accept and appropriate CDC funds from Franklin County Public Health to support successful expansion of RREACT outreach activities; and,
WHEREAS, the City desires to accept said project award; and,
WHEREAS, the year one contract period with FCPH is November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020, while the full term of the award is three years spanning from November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2022 with new award contracts signed annually for a total award of $1,114,569; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of the Department of Public Safety in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to accept the award and appropriate award funds so services may commence and financial transactions can be posted in the City’s accounting system given the project start date of November 1, 2019, for the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Public Safety Director is hereby authorized to accept $371,523 in CDC funding from Franklin County Public Health to support expansion of RREACT outreach services for budget period November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020 (year one of a three year award period).
SECTION 2. That from the unappropriated monies in the General Government Grants Fund No. 2220, the sum of $371,523 is hereby appropriated to Columbus Division of Fire 3004 according to the attached accounting document for the budget period of November 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020.
SECTION 3. That the Public Safety Director is hereby authorized to accept second and third year award money from CDC/FCPH to support expansion of RREACT outreach services for the remaining project period of September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2022 in the amount of $743,046, and that the Auditor's office is hereby authorized to appropriate funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements.
SECTION 4. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 2 shall be paid upon order of the city departments named above and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except upon voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 6. That, at the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grantor is hereby authorized and any unused City match monies, if applicable, may be transferred back to the City fund from which they originate in accordance with all applicable grant agreements.
SECTION 7. 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 8. That for reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby 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.