(a)  The director shall commence awarding contracts to projects on or before July 1, 1990. In awarding contracts to early intervention projects, the director may select projects from each of the following models:

(1)  A privately operated profit or nonprofit clinic that is not licensed as part of a health facility and that provides all of the services specified in subdivision (b) of Section 120900.

(2)  A publicly operated clinic that is not licensed as part of a health facility and that provides all of the services specified in subdivision (b) of Section 120900.

(3)  A combination of independent privately operated clinics, publicly operated clinics, and other health care providers that in total provide all of the services specified in subdivision (b) of Section 120900.

(4)  Any other model that the director considers worthy of receiving funds.

(b)  An applicant for a contract to operate an early intervention project that is not a part of a county health department shall submit its application to the county health department for review and comment. The county health department shall provide comment on the application to the department within a time period to be specified by the department. The failure by a county health department to comment on an application submitted to it within the time period specified by the department shall not jeopardize the application, and the department in a case of this nature may process and award a contract in the absence of comment by the county health department.

(c)  An applicant for a contract to operate an early intervention project shall indicate in its application how it intends to coordinate with county health department programs, community-based organizations that provide HIV-related services, and other public and private entities that may provide services to a person who is infected with HIV.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1996.)