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Title:
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Public Health Fellowship Intergovernmental Agreement (Ordinance S-48824)
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Title
Public Health Fellowship Intergovernmental Agreement (Ordinance S-48824)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) (Attachment A) with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) to establish a program of cooperative interaction between the MCDPH and the City to provide a Public Health Fellowship Program to work on public health issues related to substance use/misuse and mental health, including the development and implementation of a plan to utilize the City's allocation of One Arizona Opioid Settlement funds. The Fellowship Program will be entirely funded by MCDPH. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Report
Summary
In August 2021, 90 Arizona cities and towns and all 15 counties signed on to the One Arizona Plan to expeditiously distribute funds across Arizona from national opioid settlements. The One Arizona Plan ensures Phoenix receives the maximum amount of money available from opioid settlements, including settlements with Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson.
With One Arizona Plan funds soon to be dispersed to Maricopa County and Phoenix, the MCDPH has developed a two-year Public Health Fellowship to meet the following goals:
Support the five largest cities/towns in Maricopa County receiving opioid settlement money with developing and executing their substance use plan;
Ensure that the largest cities and towns in Maricopa County receiving opioid settlement money have access to substance use data as well as an understanding of the work that has been/is being done at the state and county level; and
Develop a workforce pipeline for Master’s level graduates looking to attain experience in public health/local government.
As a participating city in the fellowship program, the City of Phoenix will be paired with one Public Health Fellow (Fellow). The Fellow will be working out of the City Manager’s Office, initially out of Homeless Services, and then transition to report to the new Public Health Advisor position once the position has been filled. The Fellow will be working with all relevant departments and programs, including Human Services, Police, Fire - Community Assistance Program, Neighborhood Services and others. The goal will be to lead the development of a plan to utilize the opioid settlement funds to best address issues in Phoenix and to coordinate MCDPH on regional plans. The plan would address increased capacity for treatment, communication with providers, funding barriers, information on access to treatment, identification of unmet needs, and any other areas identified through the Fellow's work with the Mayor and City Council. It would also include strategies to work with community partners to meet unmet needs, messaging and information to the public that will target different audiences such as schools, youth, faith organizations, etc.
Mental health issues and substance use are high priorities for the City of Phoenix, and the City Council has authorized use of American Rescue Plan Act funding for a pilot program addressing those issues. The City has not traditionally operated programs in these areas. The Fellow will have an opportunity to help the organization build knowledge and capacity to address opioid addiction and how that intersects with a number of issues impacting Phoenix residents and the community.
Contract Term
The term of the IGA shall be from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. The IGA may be renewed for two additional one-year terms by the mutual consent of both parties, through June 30, 2026.
Financial Impact
There is no impact to the General Fund. The Public Health Fellowship Program is funded through the MCDPH utilizing funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Fellow will be an employee of the MCDPH and there will be no financial compensation from the City under the terms of this IGA.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the City Manager's Office.