SAN FRANCISCO, CA – More people in San Francisco are receiving substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, according to new data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). The Fiscal Year 2024-25 Treatment on Demand Report shows that 15 percent more people received specialty SUD treatment citywide in FY2024-25 than the year before.
HealthRIGHT 360 is part of San Francisco’s publicly funded treatment system, providing care across multiple levels, including sobering care, withdrawal management, residential treatment, outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, and residential step-down housing. The organization works with people who use drugs at different points in their care journey, helping them access the level of care that meets their clinical needs.
The Treatment on Demand Report also shows that access to care cannot be measured by same-day admission alone. All types of specialty SUD treatment access in San Francisco are at their highest level in the five years covered by the report, with 5,711 unduplicated clients accessing any type of specialty SUD care in FY2024-25.
Outpatient treatment utilization has grown by more than 90 percent during that five-year period, increasing from 971 unduplicated clients in FY2020-21 to 1,851 in FY2024-25. That growth coincides with the expansion of contingency management for stimulant use disorder across San Francisco, with HealthRIGHT 360 providing technical assistance to new providers through a SFDPH contract and poised to launch a new contingency management program at its African American Healing Center later this year.
Withdrawal management has also reached 1,567 unduplicated clients, up from 1,050 in FY2020-21, a 49 percent increase. For people who are not admitted the same day or next day, the report identifies several different pathways, including situations where a different level of clinical care is needed. Further disaggregation of these data could provide a clear picture of where people are going and what services they receive after the initial request for withdrawal management.
“More people in San Francisco are getting treatment, and our teams are doing the daily work of helping people reach the care they need,” said Vitka Eisen, President and Chief Executive Officer of HealthRIGHT 360. “Sometimes that means admission to treatment. Sometimes it means connecting someone first to medical care, mental health stabilization, or sobering services so they can safely enter treatment. Our focus is on making that connection as quickly as possible and continuing to improve systemwide access.”
Since the period covered by the report, HealthRIGHT 360 has continued to expand how people connect to care. The organization recently completed a renovation of its Access and Engagement Center, its primary entry point for behavioral health and SUD treatment in San Francisco. The expansion includes five additional evaluation rooms, two dedicated MAT evaluation rooms, a waiting area with more than double the capacity, and streamlined intake processes by relocating all intake activities to one floor. The changes have already yielded results, with 99 percent of incoming clients now receiving a MAT evaluation, compared with 33 percent previously.
“We’re continuing to work with SFDPH to make it easier for people to connect to the right care, strengthen the continuum of services available to them, and improve the data we collect and share so we can better understand what’s working and where we need to do more,” said Eisen.
In addition to expanding access to treatment, HealthRIGHT 360 is working to protect access to healthcare as federal changes to Medicaid take effect. The organization is increasing staffing to help community members enroll and re-enroll in Medi-Cal, navigate eligibility and benefits, and complete renewal requirements so they can maintain coverage and stay connected to the care and services they need.