On May 5th, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Bureau of Children, Youth, and Families released a Concept Paper outlining a forthcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) for the provision of High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) services to youth with mental health needs and cross-system involvement. HFW is an evidence-based model of care coordination for children with serious mental health needs who are also involved in the child welfare, juvenile justice, or special education systems, intended to improve mental health outcomes and lower rates of hospitalization and residential treatment.
DOHMH intends to select up to three contractors to provide HFW to youth between the ages of 12 and 21 and their families in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Each contractor will establish one team of three staff to serve a caseload of 10-12 youth and their families at a time. Medicaid enrollment will not be required to receive HFW, and services will be voluntary.
Contractors will be responsible for:
- Establishing and overseeing a HFW team that consists of a care manager, family peer partner, and youth peer partner;
- Collaborating with all parties responsible for the referral and enrollment of youth to the HFW team;
- Providing HFW services in the home or community, based on recipients’ preference;
- Ensuring HFW staff fully participate in training, coaching, supervision, and workforce credentialing required for individuals to practice this model to fidelity;
- Implementing a standardized system for data collection and reporting;
- Ensuring the agency has ability to bill Medicaid for Medicaid-billable services associated with HFW services;
- Participating in evaluation activities, aligned with national and state efforts, to assess the model; and
- Participating in forums with government and other stakeholders to engage in shared learning and inform systems coordination and improvements.
Contracts are expected to last for nine years, contingent on the availability of funding. Contracts will start in January 2022. DOHMH will provide over $6 million in total funding for the program ($856,281 annually for the first three years, reduced to $587,088 per year for the remaining six years). DOHMH seeks feedback from the provider community on potential payment structures for the described services.
The Concept Paper is available here. Written comments may be submitted through June 19th to RFP@health.nyc.gov with the subject line “High Fidelity Wraparound Concept Paper.” DOHMH anticipates releasing the RFP in summer 2021, with a deadline for applications in early fall 2021. Award decisions are expected to be announced in late fall 2021.