Sponsor: County Attorney's Office
Title
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Single Source Agreement with Children’s HealthCare Corporation
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the selection of and single source agreement with Children’s Healthcare Corporation, 2525 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404-1844, to provide individualized supportive services through its Midwest Children’s Resource Center for the period of January 13, 2026, through March 31, 2030, in accordance with the rates established in the agreement.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the agreement.
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Background and Rationale
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Youth in the Runaway Intervention Program (RIP) who have been referred to the County Attorney’s Youth Justice and Wellness Division many times have suffered multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resulting in significant health and social consequences that require focused and specialized intervention to avoid well-established lifelong consequences Midwest Children’s Resource Center (MCRC) utilizes highly trained Advanced Nurse Practitioners and trauma-informed therapists to deliver physical and mental healthcare- based interventions to youth in the Ramsey County community. These professionals are constantly refining interventions based upon emerging science and best practices. These include providing treatment to prevent HIV and Medication Assisted Treatment for Substance Use Disorders. No other program in Minnesota is delivering community-based healthcare to high-risk youth of the depth, breadth and quality as MCRC. Furthermore, these services cannot be replicated because MCRC is the only hospital-based child advocacy center in our region and this unique setting fosters the groundbreaking interventions delivered by MCRC.
As the service provider of the intensive services component of the Runaway Intervention Program, MCRC provides services that are unique in several ways. The services are provided by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner specially trained to work with sexually exploited and/or trafficked adolescent girls. These nurses can meet the physical, emotional, mental health and chemical health needs of at-risk youth. Specifically, the services include a comprehensive health care assessment of all runaways referred, as well as intensive services for all youth who qualify for on-going services. The intensive services include:
1) alcohol, chemical dependency, and mental health screenings;
2) treatment for problem substance use, PTSD, depression, and anxiety;
3) regular visits with youth at their homes, schools and in the community;
4) direct provision of ongoing individualized supportive services, including health care, health care screenings, alcohol/drug education, mentoring and parent education and parent coaching;
5) assistance and support to enroll in and continue receiving additional supportive services to address the needs of the youth; and
6) collecting evaluation data and reporting this information to the program evaluator.
The success of the intensive services provided by MCRC is well established and the program has been evaluated rigorously since its inception.
The county’s contract with Children’s Healthcare Corporation is a maximum not to exceed contract. Children’s Healthcare Corporation has provided these youth intervention services to Ramsey County since 2006. The county shall pay the following quarterly rates of $40,664.25 per quarter for a maximum annual not to exceed of $162,657 for these years. The total not to exceed amount over the life of this contract is $691,293.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
RIP primarily aims its services at girls who have run away multiple times who have experienced sexual assault or exploitation. While their experiences cannot be tracked, there are estimates on the number of runaways that occur. According to runaway reports received from law enforcement, 80% of the girls who were reported as runaways more than once in 2024 were girls of color. These support services offer a wide range of assistance aimed at positive development, focusing on basic needs, well-being, and empowerment for young people facing challenges.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Midwest Children's Resource Center remains the best program for providing healthcare services to sexually exploited youth and runaway girls through the County Attorney’s Youth Justice and Wellness Division’s Runaway Intervention Prevention. While looking for similar providers, the County Attorney sought to find programs that offered all of MCRC's contractual duties, including initial alcohol, chemical dependency, and mental health screenings, regular home, school, and community visits, individualized support services (Including health care, alcohol/drug education, and mentoring), and referrals to additional supportive services if needed. While some programs and providers may offer similar or comparable services for child advocacy and connections to community resources, the county found that MCRC remains unique in its ability to provide ongoing medical care, especially by an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN, APRN).
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Funds are available in the County Attorney’s Office 2026-2027 biennial budget to cover the cost of the contract agreement.
Last Previous Action
On December 17, 2019, the County Board approved the agreement with Children’s Health Care to provide services to help sexually victimized and runaway girls for the period of January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2024 (Resolution B2019-303).
Attachments
1. Agreement with Children’s Healthcare Corporation