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Northampton County Council rejected the Administration’s proposed Employee Health Center at their meeting on Thursday, July 20th.
“I am utterly disappointed in our current County Council. The Employee Health Center would have saved taxpayers $1.5 million – $2 million per year. The services provided by the Health Center would have been an option for employees on top of their current health insurance. The services would have been strictly confidential, strictly voluntary, and provided on a no-copay basis,” says Lamont G. McClure. “Northampton County employees and residents have been seriously misled by certain members of Council regarding this project. Council had been given sufficient time to ask for more information.”
5/25/2022 – Northampton County Department of Human Resources sent a survey to all Northampton County employees to garner interest in a potential Employee Health Center. Survey results show that an Employee Health Center is overwhelmingly supported by employees:
Would you use an onsite or near-site Health Center that is run by a 3rd party and offered exclusively to County employees and their insured dependents?
- 2% Yes
- 8% No
Would you frequent a Health Center (check all that apply):
- 3% – During work hours
- 3% – After work hours
- 7% – During lunch time
- 8% – Other
Which of the following would you prefer?
- 2% – Onsite Center
- 8% – Near Site Center
- 2% – Virtual Clinic
- 8% – Mobile Clinic
Which medical providers would you use at an Employee Health Center (top 5 answers)
- 6% – Physician
- 4% – Physician Assistant
- 5% – Nurse Practitioner
- 8% – Nurse
- 5% – Medical Assistant
8/17/2022 – The first presentation in front of Northampton County Council Finance Committee about an Employee Health Center. Integrity Health presented to the Finance Committee for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Attending from Integrity Health:
- Douglas Forrester, Chairman & CEO
- Mark Caliguire, Vice President of Government Relations and Client Development
- Joseph Calabro, Chief Physician Executive
10/19/2022 – Integrity Health presented to the Northampton County Council Finance Committee for 50 minutes.
Attending from Integrity Health:
- Douglas Forrester, Chairman & CEO
- Mark Caliguire, Vice President of Government Relations and Client Development
- Judy Lagana, Chief Clinical Officer & Senior Vice President
In this meeting, Administration advised that funding for the Employee Health Center is present in the 2023 Budget, including how the Self Insurance Trust Fund could potentially pay for the Health Center. Former Council President Lori Vargo Heffner said at the time: “The fact that he’s just proposing a single vendor and not being transparent with the rest of it is problematic. How can you say when it’s millions of dollars on the line that he wouldn’t have to go through competitive bidding? I don’t think that’s good government.”
2/24/2023 – Integrity Health operates several health centers in New Jersey and expanded to Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. In response to Former Council President Lori Vargo Heffner’s statement, Administration reviewed Lycoming County’s RFP Outline model and Northampton County then posted an RFP through the Public Purchase Platform and invited 665 entities to possibly bid on the project.
4/27/2023 – The proposals on the project were due to Northampton County. The County received five proposals and one letter from St. Luke’s Hospital that was a no bid. There were 55 entities that downloaded the bid package from the system. The purchasing department, fiscal department, and human resources collectively answered 57 questions about the RFP on the system over the two months it was posted. The purchasing department extended the deadline for submitting RFPs so that all bidders could review answers to the questions asked.
5/5/2023 – The Request for Proposal Committee met for the first time to review the five proposals the County received. This committee included Northampton County Commissioner Tom Giovanni, Director of Human Services Susan Wandalowski, Director of Human Resources Mary Lou Kaboly, Director of Fiscal Affairs Stephen Barron, and Procurement Manager Kathryn Anderson. At this meeting, the group felt strongly that Integrity Health and Everside should both be interviewed based on price and services. Care ACT was also extended an interview as they had the potential to be competitive with the other two. This was a unanimous decision, and interviews were scheduled in person or via Zoom as some bidders were more local than others.
5/31/2023 – The Request for Proposal Committee met to discuss the interviews and make a decision. The group considered the price, hours, service delivery model (i.e., doctor vs. nurse practitioner vs. physician assistant, etc.), ROI/performance guarantee, and virtual visit options. Also, each company discussed their focus on primary care health, wellness, and education. Integrity Health was unanimously selected by the Request for Proposal Committee. The Request for Proposal Committee specifically asked Mr. Giovanni if there were any other concerns that Council had that the group needed to address.
6/14/2023 – The Request for Proposal Committee presented their decision to County Council, along with the objective process undertaken by the group.
7/19/2023 – County Council was presented with a contract and a matrix related to a performance guarantee and was asked to vote at the next County Council Meeting. This information was promised to be delivered to Council for consideration at the 6/14/2023 meeting at the suggested timetable of Mr. Giovanni.
7/20/2023 – Council votes against awarding the contract 5-4.
“Providing county employees with the best health care available while controlling costs for both county employees and taxpayers will continue to be a top priority of mine. This project isn’t dead yet,” says Lamont G. McClure.
Information provided to TVL by:
Brittney Waylen
Deputy Director of Administration & Public Information Officer
County of Northampton
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
https://www.northamptoncounty.org/
