County supervisors asked to monitor $1.7M Healthy Campus contract as board approves CYBHI capacity spending
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Summary
The board approved use of Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative capacity grant dollars to fund an electronic health records platform called Healthy Campus for participating LEAs after debate about oversight, monitoring and scope; trustees asked staff for follow-up reporting on claims and use.
The San Bernardino County Board of Education voted to approve a contract to implement 'Healthy Campus,' an electronic health-records platform intended to support districts' behavioral-health claims and coordination under the statewide Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI).
Dr. Houston and other staff described the decision as part of a capacity grant that the county received to help local education agencies stand up services and billing under the broader CYBHI program. Dr. Houston said the county received approximately $24.3 million in formula funding for the capacity grant and that the board could use up to 20% of that for collective impact and administrative costs. Districts expressed interest in a joint electronic health-records platform; staff reported 31 LEAs intended to participate.
Trustees pressed staff on oversight, monitoring and the contract value. One trustee asked where the $1.7 million figure came from and urged clarity on what services are direct clinical supports and what is platform/licensing and whether the cost might otherwise fund direct interventions. Staff said 31 LEAs had already created claims and that the platform is intended to ensure claims are properly reviewed before submission; they also noted that as of the meeting hundreds of claims had been created and only a subset processed to date.
The board approved the contract after debate; one trustee voted no and asked for stronger reporting and ongoing monitoring of expenditures and claims processing. Trustees asked staff to provide more granular follow-up on (a) the districts participating, (b) the mix of platform vs. direct-service expenditures, and (c) how the platform will be used to validate reimbursement claims.
Why it matters: CYBHI is a large, state-funded multi-year program of investments in youth behavioral health. The county’s role in administering capacity grant funds and offering shared infrastructure to LEAs means county oversight matters to ensure state dollars are spent in line with allowable activities and that districts can document services and claims reliably.
What happens next: Staff committed to follow up with board correspondence and requested breakdowns of participating LEAs and how the capacity funds will translate into direct services vs. technology licensing and support. Trustees requested periodic reporting on claims processed and the monitoring process.
Representative quote: “We have 31 districts, LEAs, that are using Healthy Campus at this point,” Dr. Houston said. “The idea is for an electronic health record system to ensure claims are appropriate and have gone through review prior to submission.”
Ending: The contract was approved; trustees asked staff for detailed follow-up reporting and stronger oversight measures to be included in future correspondence.
