COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR ORDINANCE NO. 220202

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Directing the City Manager to issue a request for proposals to establish a contract for a one-year Missouri Nursing Home Worker Safety Curriculum & Pilot Program; setting the parameters of the Program; authorizing the Director of Health to enter into a contract with the Proposer who submits the best proposal; appropriating $300,000.00 from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the General Fund; and designating requisitioning authority.

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WHEREAS more than 200,000 nursing home residents and staff have died during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for nearly a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths in the US.; and

WHEREAS Kansas City nursing home workers need additional training on infection-control and prevention, appropriate screening of visitors, effective cohorting of residents, safe admission and transfer of residents, and the proper use of PPE to minimize transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses; and

WHEREAS increased understanding of vaccines, specifically COVID-19 vaccines, would support an increase in staff vaccination and reduce related staff attrition; and

WHEREAS the COVID-19 pandemic placed increased demands on nursing home staff and highlighted the need for cross training all available staff to meet resident care needs; and

WHEREAS our community has a vested interest in cultivating and retaining a robust and proficient nursing home workforce to combat the ongoing pandemic and future public health crises; and

WHEREAS, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which was signed into law by the President of the United States on March 11, 2021, provides for a State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund that appropriates $325 billion to states and units of local government to cover costs related to, and address the negative economic impacts associated with, the COVID-19 pandemic; and

                     WHEREAS, the City’s stimulus spending plan, “RecoverKC,” was finalized and adopted by Ordinance No. 210392 by the City Council on May 27, 2021, to establish the costs, uses, and programming for which the City’s first tranche of $97,388,188.0 million in stimulus funds are purposed; and

                     WHEREAS, the City’s stimulus spending plan, “RecoverKC,” increased the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the City’s General Fund and Parks and Recreation Fund, providing much needed financial relief to the City; and

WHEREAS the City endeavors to collaborate with a provider of education, training, and research to benefit low-wage childcare workers, homecare workers and other workers in related industries on a Missouri Nursing Home Worker Safety Curriculum & Pilot Program; NOW THEREFORE,

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY

Section 1.  That the City Manager is directed to issue a request for proposals for a contract establishing a one-year Missouri Nursing Home Worker Safety Curriculum & Pilot Program.

Section 2.  The request for proposals and contract shall provide that such Program include health and safety training to approximately 600 workers across at least 15 facilities in the City.  The Program shall include the following courses and address the following:

(a) Courses

•                     COVID-19 Vaccine Best Practices

•                     COVID-19/Infection Control Best Practices

•                      General Workplace Safety Best Practices

•                      Reporting Unsafe Conditions

                     (b) Issues

•                      Inadequate infection-prevention training practices

•                      Increased demands on nursing home staff

•                      Retention of nursing home staff

Section 3.  That this program shall be funded jointly by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, the City of St. Louis, Missouri, and the State of Missouri, with each party contributing $300,000.

Section 4. That the Director of Health is authorized, after evaluating all proposals and selecting the best proposal, to execute a one-year contract for the Missouri Nursing Home Worker Safety Curriculum & Pilot Program.

Section 5.  That the sum of $300,000.00 is hereby appropriated from the Unappropriated Balance of the General Fund to the following account:

22-1000-512160-B                                            Health Provider Reserve                                                                 $300,000.00

Section 6.  That the Director of Health is designated as requisitioning authority for Account No. 22-1000-512160-B and is hereby authorized to expend the sum of $300,000.00 heretofore appropriated to the account.

Section 7.   That the contract shall provide that in the event that the training program is not jointly funded as agreed, in whole or in part, by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, the City of St. Louis, Missouri, and the State of Missouri, in the current Fiscal Year, the Director of Health may terminate the contract without liability by providing written notice to the vendor.

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 I hereby certify that there is a balance, otherwise unencumbered, to the credit of the appropriation to which the foregoing expenditure is to be charged, and a cash balance, otherwise unencumbered, in the treasury, to the credit of the fund from which payment is to be made, each sufficient to meet the obligation hereby incurred.

___________________________

Tammy L. Queen

                                                                        Director of Finance

Approved as to form and legality:

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Chivonné J. Scott

                                                                        Assistant City Attorney