By Thomas Hughes. Bay City News.
A report from the San Francisco Department of Public Health shows that overdose deaths in San Francisco declined in 2021 for the first time in three years, according to a department news release.
The report released last week, titled "Substance Use Trends in San Francisco through 2021," showed that 625 people died from opioid, cocaine or methamphetamine overdoses in the city.
That marked an 11 percent decrease from 2020 figures. But overdose deaths in 2021 were still 41 percent above 2019 figures. The health department said in a news release that last year's numbers remain at crisis level.
"The Substance Use Trends report compels us to do more citywide to alleviate the overdose crisis in San Francisco communities and save more lives," said Grant Colfax, M.D., chief health officer.
"Our new overdose strategic plan builds on the progress that has been made and drives our public health response by defining our public health goals and strategies that will have the greatest impact. This also requires a 'whole city' approach to working together to support people who use drugs and reduce their risks in every way possible," he added.
According to the report, 75 percent of all overdose deaths in 2021 were attributed to fentanyl, which is a powerful synthetic opioid.
The report also highlighted the racial disparity in overdose deaths. Black residents of San Francisco faced overdose deaths at a rate five times higher than the city overall, according to the health department.
The city has developed a four-point strategic plan to try to reduce overdose deaths, which the report said were concentrated in the Tenderloin and South Market neighborhoods, but also persisted throughout the city.
The plan involves the deployment of a street overdose response team and an increase in the distribution of naloxone, an emergency medication that can help prevent overdoses. The city is also looking to open wellness centers in certain affected neighborhoods, with the first scheduled to open later this year, according to the health department.
City officials also made the drug buprenorphine available at more locations, which can help treat addiction, and are looking to increase the number of beds available at shelters for residents with behavioral health issues.
You may be interested in: More than 2.5 million youth reported using e-cigarettes in 2022
