FAQs for Bower House Project RFI

Bower House Project RFI – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page contains a running list of questions and official answers related to the Bower House Project Request for Information (RFI). Please check back regularly—all responses to vendor questions will be posted here so that everyone has access to the same information.

FAQs – 2/24/2026

1) What is the purpose of this RFI?

Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (HCMHRSB) is seeking information from qualified providers to support the Bower House Project, a joint initiative with Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) focused on multi-system youth (MSY) with co-occurring developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs.

2) Is this an RFP? Will a contract be awarded based on this RFI?

No. This is a Request for Information. HCMHRSB may use responses to refine scope, understand service models and capacity, and determine next steps. HCMHRSB may request follow-up information and/or conduct interviews. Issuance of this RFI does not guarantee an award or a subsequent procurement.

3) Who is the target population?

The target population is Hamilton County youth ages 14–21 who meet the criteria described in the RFI, including developmental or intellectual disabilities and co-occurring behavioral health needs (SPMI and/or SUD).

4) What services are contemplated at Bower House?

The project includes:

- Short-term care/respite for youth (4–6 beds) for generally less than 90 days, and
- Transitional living/independent skills development (2 beds) for up to one calendar year (as described in the RFI).

5) Where will services be delivered and who are the key partners?

Services will be delivered at 5021 Oaklawn Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45227. The facility is owned by HCMHRSB and involves multiple partners as described in the RFI, including Inclusive Housing Resources (IHR) as property manager, Habitat for Excellence as DD facility operator, and HCDDS as the license holder of both licensed floors/facilities. The selected provider(s) will be responsible for behavioral health treatment services and supports for residents.

6) How many youth will be served?

The project anticipates serving 4 youth initially in short-term care/respite, expanding to 6, plus 2 youth in transitional living/skills development supports (as described in the RFI).

7) How is this funded? Can HCMHRSB be billed first?

HCMHRSB will fund non-Medicaid reimbursable services/supports as described in the RFI, but only after other payment sources are fully accessed (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance). HCMHRSB may be billed only when the individual is uninsured or otherwise ineligible and no other funding source is available.

8) What types of services are providers expected to deliver (directly or through subcontracts)?

Providers should be able to deliver or arrange flexible, individualized supports that may include treatment services, care coordination, specialized supports, stabilization services, skills development, and other approaches described in the RFI.

9) May providers partner or submit as a team?

Yes. HCMHRSB prefers one lead provider; however, subcontracting is allowable.

10) How do we submit questions—and when are they due?

Questions must be submitted by the deadline stated in the RFI (March 16, 2026).
Important: HCMHRSB will post answers to submitted questions on this webpage as a running FAQ update, so all respondents receive the same information.

11) How do we submit our response—and when is it due?

Responses must be submitted by email to bowerhouserfi@hcmhrsb.org with the subject line “Bower house RFI” by 5:00 PM (ET) on March 23, 2026.

12) What are the formatting requirements?

Unless otherwise stated in the RFI:

- - Narrative portion may not exceed 10 pages (excluding cover page, table of contents, budget/budget narrative, and references).
  - Use 12-point font (Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman), single-spaced, 1-inch margins.
  - Submit as a single PDF (or Word document) labeled with the respondent’s organization name.

13) Do we need to answer the RFI questions in a specific order?

Yes. Please answer all questions in the order presented in the RFI.

14) What must be included in the response?

Please follow the RFI instructions and include all required sections, including the narrative responses and the budget/budget narrative, within the stated limits.

15) How will responses be evaluated?

Responses may be evaluated using the scoring categories and point values listed in the RFI and may also be reviewed for completeness, responsiveness, and alignment with the project needs.

16) What is the anticipated review period?

The anticipated review period is through April 13, 2026.

17) Who is the single point of contact?

All communication related to this RFI must be directed to bowerhouserfi@hcmhrsb.org.

18) Will HCMHRSB issue addenda or updates?

Yes, as needed. All official clarifications and answers to questions will be posted on this page as a running FAQ update. Respondents are responsible for checking this page for updates.

19) Response Checklist (Recommended)

To help you self-check before submitting, confirm that your response includes:

- - Required narrative sections answered in order
  - Any proposed partnership/subcontracting approach (if applicable)
  - Staffing plan and coverage approach
  - Service model and coordination approach (cross-system)
  - Data/outcomes/CQI approach
  - Budget and budget narrative
  - Submission format compliance (page limits, font, file type, labeling

FAQs CONTINUED – UPDATE 3/5/2026

20) Do students leave during the day to attend community school or are education services provided at the facility?

We expect that most Bower House program participants will attend their community school. However, some youth may not be actively enrolled or attending school for a variety of reasons. While staff may offer support with homework, the program will not provide direct educational services in either the short-term or long-term care settings. Educational services will remain the responsibility of the student’s home school district.

21) What is the availability of the guardian to consent to mental health services and the expectations for participation in care?

Our program design will incorporate parental consent for mental health and/or substance use disorder services directly into the intake and admissions process. While we will strongly encourage parental or guardian participation, we recognize that the level of involvement may vary based on individual circumstances – for example, differences in custody arrangements. Ultimately, parental involvement will be tailored to each child and family’s specific situation.

22) What safety protocols are in place for managing safety situations (i.e. aggressive or self-injurious behaviors)? What are the expectations of the mental health provider regarding their response in safety situations beyond verbal de-escalation?

Habitat for Excellence (Habitat) staff will serve as the primary team responsible for de-escalation and management of behavioral incidents. Habitat’s staff receive training in non-violent crisis intervention, trauma informed care, and related best practices. The selected mental health provider will primarily support Habitat staff in collaboration with Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) Behavior Support Team. Together the mental health provider, Habitat, and Behavior Support Team will develop coordinated strategies to address behavioral concerns. However, it is possible that some services may be delivered in the home. In these circumstances, the mental health provider may occasionally need to intervene directly, depending on the situation. Both DDS Behavior Support Team and Habitat are prepared to train the selected Mental Health provider in the Nisonger Crisis Prevention and Support Program, which DDS staff and teams use to enhance safety and reduce behavioral escalations. In addition, our partners will incorporate best practice crisis prevention techniques into ongoing staff training to ensure continuous skill development and support.

23) What are the expectations regarding after-care students leaving Bower House and is there funding to support after-care services?

Continuation of certain services and after-care supports will be built into the program design as these elements are essential for promoting long-term youth functioning and family stability. If the youth is not already connected to needed services, our goal is to establish those connections during their stay at Bower House. Whenever possible, existing payor sources, such as Medicaid, will be utilized first with Board funding serving as the payor of last resort. Any requests for non-Medicaid services will require review and approval prior to implementation.

24) Is there a private office space available at Bower House for individual therapy?

There currently are no plans for a dedicated private therapy space. However, each resident will have their own bedroom, which could be used for therapy sessions. Additionally, since only four of the six upstairs bedrooms will be utilized, one of the remaining bedrooms could potentially be utilized for this purpose if needed.

25) Is there a private office space available at Bower House for individual therapy?

26) During group offerings, will Bower House staff be available to provide additional supports?

Yes, Bower House staff will be present during group sessions to provide additional support.

27) Is funding available to cover staff expenses outside of time spent on health care billable activities?

HCMHRSB anticipates covering pre-authorized non-billable services. Please include detail of any anticipated expenses of these items in the budget narrative.

FAQs CONTINUED – UPDATE 3/16/2026

Funding, Billing & Reimbursement

28) What does “exhaust all other funding sources” specifically mean?

Providers are required to utilize private insurance or Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services before accessing HCMHRSB funds.

29) What services under Medicaid are billable for this program?

All named behavioral health services, i.e., individual counseling, crisis intervention, psychosocial rehabilitation, TBS, etc.

30) Are there different reimbursement rates for facility-based services compared with community-based services?

No.

31) Is there a cap on funding by HCMHRSB?

Yes, an award will be negotiated based on the proposal deliverables.

32) Do you foresee significant reliance on private insurance for this population? If so, what percentage and which insurance companies?

Most adults served in the DD system are insured through Medicaid, not private insurance. This might differ for children, though it is expected that Medicaid will still cover the majority of services.

33) Are providers required to bill both the clients’ primary Medicaid plan and OhioRISE, or does OhioRISE always take precedence for mental health services?

In Ohio, providers generally must bill the child’s Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) first, not OhioRISE, for most behavioral health services. However, when a youth is enrolled in OhioRISE and receiving certain specialized services, those services are billed through the OhioRISE plan. The billing responsibility is determined by the type of service, not simply the child’s enrollment.

34) If a provider is not credentialed with a specific Medicaid MCO, will this be a barrier to participation? If so, will HCMHRSB work with the provider to become credentialed?

If a provider is not credentialed with the member’s MCO, the provider is considered out-of-network. Reimbursement may occur if there is prior authorization with the MCO or in the case of an emergency service. The provider is primarily responsible for contracting with the MCO.

35) If the youth has private insurance, are providers expected to bill that first before Medicaid/OhioRISE?

Yes. In Ohio, private insurance is generally considered the primary payer for a child’s healthcare services. Medicaid, including OhioRISE, is usually secondary and pays only for services not fully covered by private insurance.

36) Are substance use disorder (SUD) services billable under this project, and if so, under what service codes?

Outpatient SUD services as clinically appropriate, i.e., SUD assessment, individual counseling, prevention services.

37) Can additional lines be added to the budget template to account for additional expense categories?

Yes.

Service Model, Licensing & Accreditation

38) What services do you expect the provider to bill for as part of this program?

Clinically appropriate outpatient behavioral health services, with opportunity for ancillary or supportive activities.

39) Is a mobile crisis component required, and how is “mobile crisis” defined under OhioRISE for this project?

Mobile crisis is not a required service for this program.

40) What level of care is the residential/respite home categorized as?

The level of care in the DD system is the “developmental disabilities” level of care, as defined by OAC 5123-8-01 (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-5123-8-01).

41) Are additional licenses required beyond current behavioral health/TBS licensure?

A provider should be appropriately licensed and certified before services are rendered. To provide and receive payment for behavioral health services in Ohio, an agency must typically:

- Be certified by Ohio Department of Behavioral Health for the specific mental health and/or addiction services it provides.
- Meet the operational and staffing requirements in Ohio Administrative Code Chapters 5122-25 through 5122-29.
- Have appropriately licensed or credentialed clinicians delivering the services.
- Be enrolled with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (and credentialed with Medicaid MCOs if billing managed care).

Ohio law states that if a service requires certification, no entity may provide or receive state or board funds for that service unless certified by the behavioral health department.

42) If SUD services are expected, must the organization already be credentialed for SUD treatment, or can they be in the process?

An agency should be certified before providing services.

Accreditation Requirements

43) Do providers need to have CARF/Joint Commission/COA accreditation at the time of award, or is it acceptable to be in the process of obtaining accreditation?

It is acceptable to be in the process of obtaining accreditation.

Program Structure, Timeline & Contract Details

44) What is the expected contract period for this project?

HCMHRSB contracts on a calendar year basis. The first contract will be through December 2026.

45) What is the anticipated operational start date for services?

Tentative operational start date is 05/01/26.

Telehealth & Psychiatry

46) What is the County’s position on the use of telemedicine for service delivery?

There is value in using telemedicine, and we can discuss its use for certain services or emergencies; however, in-person services are preferred.

47) Is psychiatric care permitted or expected to be provided via telemedicine?

See above.

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