City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: March 5, 2024
From: Freddie Agyin, Director of Health and Environmental Control Department: Health and Environmental Control
Submitted by: Veronica Petrosyan, Deputy Director of Health and Environmental Control
Subject
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Grant Program Agreement Between the City of Vernon and Wellness and Equity Alliance, LLC (WEA) Recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute the NAACHO Grant Program Agreement with WEA, in substantially the same form as submitted, for a vaccine equity project, for a total amount not-to-exceed $150,000, for the duration of the NACCHO grant term ending on July 31, 2024.
Background
On October 24, 2022, the City executed a services agreement with WEA for Health Officer services and a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The CHNA identified the need to expand the capacity of the Department of Health and Environmental Control to include public health services. As a result, the City Council approved funding for WEA to pilot public health services during fiscal year 2023-2024. Accordingly, WEA has piloted the following public health services as part of the first phase of capacity building:
• Clinical service is offered directly to the Vernon community at the Vernon Health + Wellness Center (VH+WC) located at City Hall.
• Clinical service offerings via the mobile health vans on-site at Vernon business locations and outside city limits.
• Intervention service offerings with integrated behavioral health services.
As per the service agreement and on behalf of the city, WEA applied for and the City received a grant award (“Partnership for Vaccine Equity Project”) of $150,000 from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to address inequities in COVID-19 and influenza vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic minority adults.
The Partnership for Vaccine Equity Project is designed to support the City’s health department and the Vernon Health + Wellness Center (VH+WC) to identify and address drivers of vaccine hesitancy, engage community and community influencers to support vaccine messaging, provide education and vaccine delivery at the community level and facilitate relationships between the city and the community to increase confidence and access opportunities.
With grant funding and support from NACCHO, the City of Vernon and the staff of the Vernon Health + Wellness Center (as powered by WEA) will meet the following objectives:
1. Improve understanding of current barriers to COVID-19 and influenza vaccination for adults in Vernon and the surrounding SELA communities.
2. Identify vaccine inequities and opportunities for enhanced vaccine education and access at the local level.
3. Develop and enhance local collaborations to improve vaccine education, outreach, and access for identified adult populations.
4. Contribute to shared learning and reporting challenges, results, and outcomes throughout the project.
In order for the City to utilize grant funds to compensate WEA for their work related to NACCHO project objectives, a separate grant agreement is required between the City and WEA specifically for this purpose. All funds paid to WEA under the proposed agreement will be derived directly from City grant funds received from NACCHO. The proposed agreement requires City Council approval pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Section 3.32.030 as the total contract amount exceeds $100,000.
The proposed agreement aligns with the city’s strategic goals and objectives outlined in the original public health services agreement with WEA, provides that WEA is bound to comply with all NACCHO project and reimbursement terms, ensures the efficient use of grant funds, and facilitates the project's timely completion. The WEA grant agreement will expire on July 31, 2024, aligning with the NACCHO grant term.
The proposed agreement has been reviewed and approved-as-to-form by the City Attorney.
Fiscal Impact
Award of the NACCHO grant resulted in $150,000 in additional revenue to the General Fund.
The grant funds will cover 100% of the costs associated with the NACCHO grant program agreement with WEA.
Attachments
1. NACCHO Grant Program Agreement with WEA