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DPH director reports modest decline in overdose deaths, opens Maria X Martinez clinic and outlines Baker Place transition
Summary
Director Grant Colfax told commissioners that San Francisco saw a decline in overdose deaths in 2021 but that totals remain at crisis levels (625 deaths in 2021); DPH opened the Maria X Martinez Health Resource Center in SoMa and is working on a six‑month transition plan after Baker Place signaled fiscal stress.
Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s Director of Public Health, briefed the Health Commission on Oct. 18 with a multi‑topic report that highlighted substance‑use trends, new clinic capacity, behavioral‑health provider transitions, and routine COVID and MPox data.
Colfax said the DPH substance‑use trends report shows the city recorded 625 overdose deaths in 2021, an 11% decline from 2020 but still 41% higher than 2019 levels. Fentanyl remained the primary driver, involved in roughly 75% of overdose cases. The department also released an "Overdose Prevention Plan," a four‑point strategy that sets measurable goals to reduce deaths and address racial disparities; Colfax said Black…
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