The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) would like to establish a single feasible source contract with Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) to expand its Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) opioid biosurveillance program, linkage to care, and training and education efforts within hospitals. The intent of this contract is for MHA to enlist hospital participation and provide oversight to participating hospitals. Participating hospitals would collect and transmit overdose samples to the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory (MSPHL). The results from the analysis would be shared with the Division of Community & Public Health’s Bureau of Healthcare Analysis and Data dissemination (BHCADD). MHA would be instrumental in promoting and marketing this project to Missouri Hospitals, developing administrative processes, and sharing hospital cooperation. Furthermore, MHA is the only federally recognized state hospital association in Missouri and is the only organization that represents all licensed hospitals, military, and rehabilitation facilities in the state. MHA is the only entity within the state that has the ability and subject matter expertise to communicate and coordinate Missouri’s hospital systems. This association will enable MHA to evaluate the capacity of hospitals statewide to participate, build relationships, and coordinate the required processes to promote project success. Lastly, OD2A in Missouri is a cooperative agreement between the DHSS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC’s guidance was sought on the merits of establishing a contract with MHA. The CDC advised our state hospital would be a key partner to secure project success. According to RSMo 34.044, a single feasible source can be utilized when the service requirement is proprietary and only available from a single provider. As a result, this represents a proprietary requirement that meets the criteria as a single feasible source under RSMo 34.044 and the State is pursuing this acquisition as a Single Feasible Source.
