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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. g-d <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 20, 1998 <br />SUBJECT: Authorization to Contract with Respite Care Providers <br />DEPARTMENT: Dept. on Aging and Public Hearing: No <br />Purchasing Department Budget Amendment Reqd? No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1996 RFP defining qualifications of <br />a service provider <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Jerry Passmore, ext. 2000 <br />Pam Jones, ext. 2650 <br />Telephone Number- <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 967-9251 <br />Mebane 227-2031 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />PURPOSE: To seek authorization to enter into agreements with in-home care providers. <br />BACKGROUND: In the past the Department on Aging has utilized a portion of its <br />Eldercare operating budget to purchase in-home respite service from local providers. <br />This service places a trained aide in the home of a frail older adult in order to relieve the <br />caregiver that is usually a family member. The average allocation of service is six hours <br />per week. <br />The NC General Assembly, recognizing the need for additional in-home care service <br />statewide, has provided funding distributed by a .population-based formula, which has <br />substantially increased Orange County's allocation over the past two years. The <br />County's F.Y. 1998-99 budget includes approximately $90,000 to be used for this <br />purpose. Approximately $73,000 of this amount is provided by the State Division of <br />Aging, who reimburses 90% of the cost of providing the service. <br />Historically, proposals have been solicited from interested providers and a contract <br />struck to provide the service for a specific period of time. Due to the inability of the <br />providers to hire and retain qualified personnel, however, they were not consistently able <br />to honor the terms of the agreement. <br />In order to maintain the flexibility necessary for successful service delivery the County <br />has found it prudent to use several providers contingent upon their availability. The <br />inconsistency in the Provider's ability to offer service upon request makes it inefficient to <br />approve annual contracts. Therefore, the Board is being requested to authorize the <br />