Agenda Item Wording:
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Authorization to Award a Contract for Phlebotomy and Alcohol/Drug Screening Services - Authorize the City Manager to award a sole source contract for phlebotomy and alcohol/drug screening services for the Visalia Police Department with Adventist Health Tulare, Adventist Health Toxicology located in Tulare, CA, for an annual amount not to exceed $60,00 a year and a 5-year contract total amount not to exceed $300,000.
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Deadline for Action: 5/20/2024
Submitting Department: Police Department
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Chief Jason Salazar, ext. 4215, jason.salazar@visalia.city <mailto:jason.salazar@visalia.city>;
Financial Analyst Liz Ybarra, ext. 4250, liz.ybarra@visalia.city <mailto:liz.ybarra@visalia.city>;
Lieutenant Mike Verissimo, ext. 4154, mike.verissimo@visalia.city <mailto:mike.verissimo@visalia.city>
Department Recommendation:
Authorize City Manager to award a sole source contract for phlebotomy and alcohol/drug screening services for the Visalia Police Department with Adventist Health Tulare, Adventist Health Toxicology located in Tulare, CA, for an annual amount not to exceed $60,000 and a 5-year contract total amount not to exceed $300,000. The Department currently uses two providers. Adventist Health performs blood draws and Central Valley Toxicology provides lab results. The Visalia Police Department requests to utilize the Adventist Health Toxicology Laboratory, located in Tulare, CA, for both services as a cost saving measure.
Summary:
Mineral King Toxicology (MKT), which was managed by Tulare Regional Medical Center (TRMC), was the Department’s sole source provider for blood draws and drug/alcohol screening services for numerous years until they suddenly stopped providing services on 10/28/2017. The department urgently researched other vendors, with the cooperation of other local agencies that were also placed in the same situation. The Department temporarily contracted with two independent phlebotomists along with Central Valley Toxicology (CVT) which was the only vendor in the area that could provide drug/alcohol screening services. Kaweah Delta would not provide those screening services. In 2019, the Department was able to sole source a contract for phlebotomy services through Adventist Health Toxicology. The services are charged at $75 for the collection and $75 for travel for each sample collected.
Since Adventist Health has taken over the administration of the hospital in Tulare, they have reopened the toxicology lab, upgraded their instrumentation, and added staff. The lab manager has advised that if we were to resume testing with them, the phlebotomy charges would be reduced to $45 for collection and $45 for travel which is a 40% savings ($60) per sample. This would result in substantial annual savings from our current practices.
An additional advantage to resuming services with Adventist Health Toxicology Laboratory is that the samples collected from the phlebotomist would be retained and transported directly to the lab for testing. This drastically reduces the time from collection to sampling and improves the chain of custody of these samples. Furthermore, it reduces the burden on City staff to pack, log into evidence, and transport these samples to Fresno.
Background Discussion:
In October 2019, the Visalia Police Department requested and was granted an emergency contract with CVT for drug/alcohol screening services. This emergency contract was the result of the previous service provider, MKT, terminating the service agreement with a five-day notice when TRMC ceased operations for an extended period of time. This left an urgent void in the processing of drug/alcohol samples, which significantly impacted the filing of cases with the District Attorney’s Office. In 2019, Adventist Health Toxicology then became operational, and the Department contracted with them for phlebotomy services.
Fiscal Impact:
Both CVT and Adventist Health service contracts expire on June 30, 2024. Staff will notify CVT that the Department will no longer be using their services. The Department budgets $60,000 (2101-55110 & 55120) a year for phlebotomy and drug/alcohol screening services as part of Police operations. Staff is requesting a sole source contract with Adventist Health Tulare, Adventist Health Toxicology Laboratory in Tulare, CA, for both phlebotomy and drug/alcohol screening services because they are the only provider in the local area. Adventist Health is now the administrator of the Tulare Hospital and has since reopened the toxicology lab. The Adventist Health lab and the CVT lab in Fresno are the only two forensic toxicology labs in this region.
Prior Council Action: 5/6/2019 CVT Staff Report.
Other: N/A
Alternatives: Not award a sole source contract.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to award a sole source contract for phlebotomy and alcohol/drug screening services for the Visalia Police Department with Adventist Health Tulare, Adventist Health Toxicology located in Tulare, CA, for an annual amount not to exceed $60,00 a year and a 5-year contract total amount not to exceed $300,000.
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Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments: Price Schedule of Services.