Title
Authorize the Chief Executive Officer for Natividad Medical Center (NMC) or his designee to execute amendment No. 2 to the agreement with Huffmaster Crisis Response, Inc. for nurse and allied professional staffing services in the event of an emergent staffing crisis at NMC, to add $350,000 for a revised total agreement amount not to exceed $901,988, until the conclusion of the staffing need.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the Board of Supervisors:
Authorize the Chief Executive Officer for Natividad Medical Center (NMC) or his designee to execute amendment No. 2 to the agreement with Huffmaster Crisis Response, Inc. for nurse and allied professional staffing services in the event of an emergent staffing crisis at NMC, to add $350,000 for a revised total agreement amount not to exceed $901,988, until the conclusion of the staffing need.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Huffmaster is a nationally-recognized healthcare staffing agency, providing emergency staffing and strike staffing solutions to healthcare clients, including hospitals. By providing clinical personnel during an emergent situation, hospitals can continue their vital operations during these situations.
Throughout the pandemic Natividad has experienced extreme census increases, resignations, increased unit sick-outs, difficulty with recruiting experienced specialty staff and a minimum of a two-week compliance requirement for traditional travel staff. All of this threatens Natividad’s ability to meet its licensure requirements and nursing and allied professional to patient staff ratios in hospital units. When all regularly assigned staff participate in unit call-in’s and fail to report to work, Natividad, committed to patient safety, is put into a position to cancel procedures and plan to divert emergency cases to other hospitals. Amending the existing agreement with Huffmaster to include emergent short-term staffing crisis situations will ensure that by the following day, Natividad is able to provide appropriate staffing levels of nurses and allied professionals to meet the healthcare needs of its patients.
Natividad had to amend the agreement once to increase funds and is now amending again to increase for more funds as needed.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Office of the County Counsel approved the amendment No. 2 as to form. The Auditor-Controller approved the amendment No. 2 as to payment provisions. This amendment No. 2 has been reviewed and approved by Natividad’s Finance Committee and its Board of Trustees on June 10, 2022.
FINANCING:
The cost for this amendment no. 2 is $350,000, all of which is included in the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Adopted Budget.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The services rendered in this agreement contribute to assisting NMC in the care and treatment of patients.
__ Economic Development
X Administration
X Health and Human Services
__ Infrastructure
__ Public Safety
Prepared by: Janine Bouyea, Human Resources Administrator, 783-2701
Approved by: Charles R. Harris, Chief Executive Officer, 783-2551
Attachments:
Amendment No. 2 to HuffMaster Agreement
Amendment No. 1 to HuffMaster Agreement
Agreement with HuffMaster Crisis Response, Inc.
Attachments on file with the Clerk of the Board