
Admissions to addiction treatment programs in San Francisco have dropped by 20% over the past five years, even as drug use and overdose deaths have exploded, according to public health data published this week.
Combined with recent reports of treatment center vacancies — on some nights, 1 in 4 beds is empty in San Francisco’s residential treatment facilities — the admissions data suggest that certain addiction programs are being underutilized at a time when the city is in a drug use crisis, some public health and elected officials say.
But much of the decrease in admissions may be explained by people seeking other types of addiction services that don’t require residential care. The data alone may not paint a full picture of a public health issue that is complex and currently in flux, addiction experts said. …
Click here to read the full article from the San Francisco Chronicle