Bay Area

Mayor London Breed and Health Department Launch New Program to Fight Overdoses and Deaths

Published

5 years ago

October 3, 2019

Mayor London N. Breed and the Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Sept. 30 a new overdose prevention program for single room occupancy hotels (SROs), to be carried out by DPH in partnership with the Harm Reduction Coalition and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

The innovative program is in response to the rising number of overdose deaths in San Francisco, approximately 30 percent of which occur at SROs.

After years of keeping overdose deaths relatively flat, even in the face of a rising number of overdoses, San Francisco is seeing an increase in overdose deaths. This is largely the result of the introduction of fentanyl into the drug supply, which is a very potent opioid that carries a high risk of death by overdose.

“We must do more to fight the serious danger that fentanyl presents to our community, and this new program will help us meet people where they are and provide SRO residents with the training and medication to prevent overdose deaths,” said Mayor Breed. “This effort builds on San Francisco’s long history of implementing innovative solutions, working with the community, and emphasizing harm reduction to save lives.”

The number of fentanyl overdose deaths in San Francisco has increased each year since 2014. There were 36 fentanyl overdose deaths in 2017, 89 deaths in 2018, and in the first quarter of 2019 there were 39 fentanyl overdose deaths. Fentanyl has driven an overall 17 percent increase in all drug overdose deaths in San Francisco from 222 in 2017 to 259 in 2018. For the first time, fentanyl has surpassed heroin and prescription opioids as the leading cause of opioid overdose death.

“We knew fentanyl was coming and have been monitoring it closely,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health. “Now it’s here. We will continue to expand our aggressive work to prevent overdoses and increase access to treatment.”

The Health Department supports the Harm Reduction Coalition’s Drug Overdose Prevention (DOPE) Project, which provided over 15,000 doses of naloxone to thousands of people at risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose in 2018 alone.

DOPE recorded 1,658 overdose reversals in that year and is on track to nearly double that number in 2019. The DOPE Project continues to expand operations, with new sites and mobile activities in San Francisco. In addition, DPH provides low barrier access to buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder and reduce overdose risk. DPH expanded the Street Medicine team, which is comprised of nurses, doctors, and social workers.
The Street Medicine team conducts outreach to homeless and marginally housed residents and clinicians provide prescriptions for the opioid treatment medication buprenorphine directly to people on the streets suffering from opioid addiction.

The new program will expand overdose prevention efforts even further. Based on the successful Tenant Overdose Response Organizers (TORO) program from Vancouver, the SRO project will work closely with SRO operators and tenants to develop on-site overdose prevention programs.

The project also will support the installation of naloxone-rescue boxes throughout the buildings to improve access to this critical life-saving medication. The SRO program will begin later this year and is supported by the California Department of Public Health, the California Department of Health Care Services and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“By deliberately expanding overdose prevention efforts to SROs, the residents, many of whom are formerly homeless and have struggled with mental health and substance use issues, will be empowered to save lives and support their community,” said Dr. Phillip Coffin, Director of Substance Use Research for the Department of Public Health.

The Department of Public Health reported an increase in overdose deaths in August, and earlier this month issued a health alert to San Francisco health providers when additional fentanyl overdoses occurred. Three men with no known history of opioid use required critical hospital care in San Francisco following fentanyl overdose, in three separate incidents. Two died from the overdoses and one recovered.

Office of Mayor London Breed

Posts by Office of Mayor London Breed

Related Topics:fentanyl Mayor London Breed San Francisco

Up Next

San Leandro Hosts Annual Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon for Adults 50+ Years of Age

Don't Miss

Khari Haynes as Flute in ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Office of Mayor London Breed

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”