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DPH expands on‑demand buprenorphine service as overdose deaths fall, director says
Summary
Director Colfax told the Health Commission that the Department of Public Health has expanded an on‑demand buprenorphine service (8 a.m.–midnight) and presented year‑over‑year increases in treatment admissions and prescriptions alongside a drop in fatal overdoses.
Director Colfax reported to the San Francisco Health Commission that the Department of Public Health has expanded an on‑demand treatment line to connect people who use fentanyl with a medical provider who can prescribe buprenorphine from 8 a.m. to midnight daily.
"This means that any San Franciscan can call this line and get a provider who will come up with a treatment plan and prescribe buprenorphine as appropriate," Director Colfax said during the director’s report.
Colfax and the presentation cited measures of increased treatment access in 2024 compared with 2023: a 32% increase in methadone treatment admissions, a 46% increase in buprenorphine prescriptions filled at the DPH behavioral health pharmacy, and a 35% increase in residential treatment admissions. The director also said the city’s monthly accidental overdose report showed a sixth consecutive month of decline in fatal overdoses, amounting to an approximately 20% decrease in overdose deaths in the first nine months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.
Colfax framed the expanded on‑demand service as part of a broader strategy that includes outreach, expanded programming and partnerships intended to make lifesaving medications and treatment more accessible to people in San Francisco. Commissioners thanked DPH for the progress and discussed potential media outreach to highlight the expanded hours and pilot outcomes.
No public comment was recorded on the director’s report item.
