To Provide Behavioral Health Crisis Response Services

Description

COUNTY OF ERIE Department of Mental Health Questions and responses from ECDMH pertaining to RFP # 2026-048VF 1. Recognizing the current limitations in the workforce, would ECDMH consider qualified provisionally licensed mental health professionals (permits) operating under appropriate supervision, or must all direct-response clinicians hold full professional licensure at time of hire? A. ECDMH appreciates the ways local agencies and programs are navigating the current workforce challenges. Provisionally licensed mental health professionals operating under a valid New York State permit with appropriate clinical supervision may be proposed, provided they are legally authorized to perform the required scope of practice. The proposer must clearly describe its supervision model and demonstrate how clinical quality and program expectations will be maintained. This should include a plan for the permit holder to secure their licensure within 6 months of their hire date. 2. Will dedicated workspace, internet access, phone lines, and secure storage be provided for clinicians at the BPD district station, or should proposer’s budget account for these items? A. The Buffalo Police Department will provide reasonable workspace for assigned clinicians. Proposers should budget for equipment and operational resources necessary to support their staff (e.g., laptops, agency-issued phones, documentation systems) unless otherwise specified. 3. While the RFP states that clinicians are not expected to respond to every behavioral health related call, can ECDMH provide additional guidance regarding anticipated deployment volume during pilot operating hours? Is there any data from BPD that can be shared with submitting providers on volume of calls during the RFP days/hours? A. Clinicians are anticipated to respond to all calls related to behavioral health in coordination with the Behavioral Health Team. Deployment decisions will be made by the BPD Behavioral Health Team based on operational need and appropriateness of the call. Historical call volume data is not available in a format that reliably predicts clinician utilization. The County anticipates the workload will fluctuate as the pilot is implemented and operational practices evolve. Clinicians are not expected to respond to calls without BHT officers. 4.