June 16, 2026
Library and Community Services
DATE: June 16, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager – Community
Services
Sam Vaughn, Deputy Director of Community Services -
Office of Neighborhood Safety
Angelica Howay, Management Analyst, Office of
Neighborhood Safety
Subject:
Contract with Health Management Association, Inc. to
Conduct an Assessment of Richmond’s Mental Health
and Trauma-Response Services
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed $150,000 expenditure is included within the approved Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Office of
Neighborhood Safety budget (Account String:
01211113-400201).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
September 16, 2025
September 23, 2025
November 18, 2025
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
At City Council is being asked to approve a contract with a qualified consultant to conduct a comprehensive
assessment of existing mental health services in
Richmond and provide actionable recommendations to
strengthen service delivery, accessibility, and
coordination. This action follows City Council direction provided on September 23, 2025, after which City staff
issued a Request for Proposals to identify a consultant with the expertise needed to complete the assessment
and support the City’s broader mental health service
planning efforts.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract with Health Management
Associates, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive assessment
of the City’s mental health and trauma-response
AGENDA
REPORT
June 16, 2026
services, in an amount not to exceed $150,000 with a
term beginning June 16, 2026, and ending December 31,
2026, and authorize the City Manager or designee to
approve any necessary amendments within the approved
budget – Community Services (Sam Vaughn 510-620-
5404/Angelica Howay 510-307-8049).
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to direction provided by the City Council on September 23, 2025, City staff initiated a multi-phase effort to enhance the City’s response to officer-involved shootings (OIS) and in-custody deaths, including improving communication protocols and expanding access to mental health and trauma-response services for affected individuals and the broader community. As part of this directive, the City Council further instructed City staff to engage a qualified consultant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing mental health services in Richmond and to provide actionable recommendations to strengthen service delivery, accessibility, and coordination.
Consistent with City Council direction, City staff released a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) on January 30, 2026, which closed on February 23, 2026. The RFP sought a qualified consultant with demonstrated expertise in behavioral health systems, trauma-informed care, and public sector service delivery to conduct the assessment and develop actionable recommendations (Attachment 1). A total of 959 vendors were notified, 51 vendors downloaded the application, and 12 proposals were received (Attachment 2). Following a thorough evaluation process, Health Management Associates, Inc. (HMA) was identified as the most qualified proposer based on their extensive experience in conducting community-wide behavioral health assessments, stakeholder engagement, and development of implementation-ready strategic recommendations for local governments (Attachment 3 and 4).
HMA’s proposed scope of work includes: (1) a comprehensive assessment of existing mental health and trauma-response services available to Richmond residents, including services for families and witnesses impacted by critical incidents; (2) identification of service gaps, access barriers, and opportunities for system coordination; (3) engagement with key stakeholders, including community-based organizations, service providers, and impacted populations; and (4) development of a set of actionable, equity- centered recommendations to improve service delivery and outcomes. The assessment will also consider best practices and models from comparable jurisdictions to inform a locally tailored approach.
Entering into a contract with HMA represents a critical next step in fulfilling the City Council’s directive and advancing the City’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and community healing (Attachment 5). The resulting assessment and recommendations will provide the City with a data-driven framework to guide future investments in mental health infrastructure, enhance support for individuals impacted by traumatic incidents, and strengthen overall community well-being.
June 16, 2026
This effort is intended to complement the City’s parallel work on updating OIS communication protocols and body-worn camera release standards, ensuring a coordinated and holistic approach to both immediate incident response and long-term community support. Approval of this contract will enable staff to proceed with the assessment in a timely manner and return to Council with findings and recommendations for consideration.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – RFP – Mental Health Assessment
Attachment 2 – Bid Summary
Attachment 3 – Scoring Matrix
Attachment 4 – Health Management Associates Proposal
Attachment 5 – Standard Contract - HMA