Alternative service delivery: options to effectively respond to COVID-19 and develop long-term strategy

As the U.S. continues to confront public health challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, governments are creating shared service agreements and developing public-private partnerships to meet the needs within their community. From virus testing to contact tracing, collaborative governance is more vital than ever before.

In April 2020, Baker Tilly’s public sector team shared six actions governments and not-for-profit organizations should take to prepare for revenue shortages. In this article, we explore one of those actions: alternative service delivery. Specifically, below we discuss why alternative service delivery methods should be part of your immediate COVID-19 response and long-term strategy.

Alternative service delivery is the overarching approach of providing government services using a non-traditional method to reduce costs, while maintaining or improving service levels. Examples of alternative service delivery include but are not limited to shared service agreements, public-private partnerships and government collaboration.

Responding to the public health crisis

The pandemic response has necessitated the use of the following methods to help keep communities safe.

• Contact tracing: Tracking down and warning anyone who had close contact with an infected individual requires significant labor. In most instances, local health departments lack the staffing and training capabilities to meet this growing need. Sharing personnel and training resources can help governments adequately respond.  
• Virus testing: Local governments are already leveraging private sector resources to meet their testing needs. Around the country, public officials are working with grocery stores and pharmacies to provide drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites. Working with these stores is a no-brainer as they already employ trained healthcare workers who are able to provide testing. In instances where the testing facility is inadequately staffed through solely internal resources, these facilities can outsource staffing easily.
• Ambulance services: Intergovernmental agencies created to oversee the provision of ambulance services have been around for years. For example, in Illinois, the Tri-City Ambulance Service (TCA) allows members to provide their communities with a service that otherwise would not have been individually affordable. Local governments may consider emulating this type of arrangement to expand access to care within their community.