Regional Support Center Program (RSC) - Contract Extensions

Pursuant to New York State Finance Law § 163.10(b), The New York State Department of Health is presenting the following summary of relevant circumstances, and material and substantial reasons why a competitive procurement was not feasible. The New York State Department of Health, Regional Support Center Program (RSC) Program has made a determination to issue a Single Source Procurement to three eligible grantees to support ongoing currently funded projects.

Three federally designated University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), or RSCs, have been providing valuable services to the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) community and the local health departments (LHDs). The LHD CYSHCN programs are an essential component of the Department’s Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (MCHSBG) CYSHCN portfolio. LHDs are funded to engage CYSHCN communities and service providers as well as provide referrals and information to CYSHCN and their families but have reported low numbers served in recent years. RSCs were brought on board to help LHDs identify barriers and challenges to delivering those services and increase participation in their CYSHCN programs. Therefore, the RSCs are critical partners in helping to advance the Department’s goals and Title V responsibilities for CYSHCN.

Through statewide information collection from needs assessments and family/individual sessions, RSCs have the unique ability to identify regions where areas of need were highlighted, develop trainings, network with regions, and connect LHDs with each other about topics and best practices and assist the CYSHCN population accordingly. Contracts with the three RSCs provide the development of a statewide Resource Directory, technical assistance, training, mentorship and coaching to improve LHDs’ ability to support CYSHCN and their families, and allow for engagement with CYSHCN and their families to continue to assess and support their needs. The three RSCs are geographically distributed to provide support statewide. RSCs are uniquely qualified for this work and can leverage their current expertise and relationships with LHDs to provide the necessary technical assistance and support to the LHDs as well as direct engagement of families.

Procurement / Program Name	Regional Support Center Program (RSC)
Contractor Name(s)	Multiple - See attached Chart
Contract Period	10/1/2021 – 9/30/2024
Contract Number(s)	Multiple - See attached Chart