Supervisors hear city departments on updating overdose prevention policies; one resolution continued

The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on July 24 continued a resolution urging the Police Department and the Department of Emergency Management to designate all 911 calls reporting drug use or suspected drug activity within 1,500 feet of parks, playgrounds and schools as Priority A, and held a hearing soliciting city department input on potential updates to the 2021 ordinance (administrative code section 15.17) that requires annual overdose prevention policy reports.

On the resolution (agenda item 3) — sponsored by Supervisor Sherrill with Supervisor Danny Sauter listed as a cosponsor in committee remarks — Supervisor Sauter moved to continue the item to the call of the chair to allow additional work with SFPD and DEM; the committee voted 3-0 to continue the resolution.

Committee members then heard a substantive presentation from Department of Public Health (DPH) Deputy Medical Director for Substance Use Services Dr. Kristi Soren and partner presenters from the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (Deputy Director Emily Cohen), Human Services Agency (Principal Administrative Analyst Perry Weisberg) and the Department of Emergency Management (Deputy Director Adrienne Bechelli). The panel described how the 2021 ordinance requires DPH, DEM, HSH and HSA to submit annual overdose prevention policies addressing: treatment access; posting and…