Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
San Francisco to Open Tent 'Sobering' Center for Meth Users
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
February 6, 2020

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — A center for people experiencing methamphetamine-induced psychosis will open in San Francisco to help them get sober in a safe place, the latest effort to address the city’s rising drug overdoses and rampant street drug use.

“The reality is that drug use and overdoses are on the rise, and doing nothing is not an option. The public drug use we see every day hurts those who are suffering from addiction as well as the surrounding communities.” — Mayor London Breed
The center, believed to be the first in the U.S. specifically for people who are high on methamphetamine, will open late this spring on a city-owned parking lot in the Tenderloin neighborhood, where streets are littered with syringes and addicts congregate, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.
Mayor London Breed said the 24-hour center will get high people off the streets and connect them with addiction treatment and other services. Each tent will have 15 beds.
“The reality is that drug use and overdoses are on the rise, and doing nothing is not an option,” Breed said in a statement. “The public drug use we see every day hurts those who are suffering from addiction as well as the surrounding communities.”
The spike in methamphetamine addiction in the city has been a main driver for crowding of the psychiatric emergency room at San Francisco General Hospital, overwhelming medical staff and sometimes resulting in patients being released back to the streets before they are deemed ready.
From 2017 to 2018, 47% of all visits to the psychiatric emergency room were related to methamphetamine use. Officials hope the center will relieve some of that pressure.
Photo of a used syringe
In this file photo from Thursday, May 10, 2018, a used syringe is shown on a sidewalk in San Francisco. A center for people experiencing methamphetamine-induced psychosis will open in San Francisco as the city struggles with a rise in drug overdoses and rampant street drug use. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the center will open in late spring. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The Center May Eventually Accept Patients From Hospital Emergency Rooms

People with methamphetamine-induced psychosis often have paranoia, hallucinations and behave aggressively.
The center, aimed at helping people come down from drug highs, will be staffed by nurses and counselors who will give addicts advice about longer-term help like treatment beds, shelter beds and how they should take care of themselves mentally and physically.
HealthRight 360, one of the largest San Francisco drug treatment providers, will run it.
A driver with a van will be posted outside the center to pick up people showing signs of methamphetamine-induced psychosis.
Officials said the center may eventually accept patients from hospital emergency rooms, but will begin by accepting people only from the streets.
San Francisco is also among several cities in the country considering opening supervised injection sites to address drug addiction.
Advocates say injection sites have been successful in Canada, Europe and elsewhere and that when combined with on-site recovery resources, they can help prevent overdoses and help users.
But injection sites are illegal under U.S. federal law.

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

DON'T MISS

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

DON'T MISS

Police Had About 90 Seconds to Stop Traffic Before Baltimore Bridge Fell. 6 Workers Are Feared Dead

DON'T MISS

NBC Has Cut Ties With Former RNC Head Ronna McDaniel After Employee Objections, Some on the Air

DON'T MISS

Chinese Leader Xi Issues a Positive Message to US Business Leaders as Ties Improve

DON'T MISS

You Might Spot a Mountain Lion in California, But Attacks Like the One That Killed a Man Are Rare

DON'T MISS

Cargo Ship Lost Power, Issued Mayday Before Hitting Baltimore’s Bridge

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Social Media Company Soars Nearly 50% in Its First Day of Trading on Nasdaq

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Appears Likely to Preserve Access to Abortion Medication Mifepristone

DON'T MISS

Court Agrees to Pause Trump’s Civil Fraud Judgment if He Puts up $175M

No data was found

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

13 hours ago

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

14 hours ago

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

15 hours ago

Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Sets a Record After Wall Streets Breaks Out of Its Lull

15 hours ago

House Speaker Mike Johnson Headed to Fresno on April 4

15 hours ago

Bredefeld, Smittcamp Debate the Salary of Valley Children’s CEO

15 hours ago

CA’s Liberal Government Has a Long History of Caving to Special Interests

15 hours ago

Corrupt Process? Bullard, Edison Parents Blast Handling of Superintendent Search

16 hours ago

Police Had About 90 Seconds to Stop Traffic Before Baltimore Bridge Fell. 6 Workers Are Feared Dead

17 hours ago

NBC Has Cut Ties With Former RNC Head Ronna McDaniel After Employee Objections, Some on the Air

17 hours ago

Supermom Carmi Is Ready to Be Embraced by Her Forever Family

Carmi, an incredible 1-year-old kitten mama, can be very gentle but can also get overstimulated and give love bites. Even her warm, honey-co...
Animals /

13 mins ago

Animals /
13 mins ago

Supermom Carmi Is Ready to Be Embraced by Her Forever Family

8 hours ago

Ukrainian Navy Says a Third of Russian Warships in the Black Sea Have Been Destroyed or Disabled

Composite image of President Trump and Devin Nunes
12 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: How Going to Work for Trump Turned Devin Nunes Into a Millionaire

13 hours ago

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

14 hours ago

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

15 hours ago

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

15 hours ago

Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Sets a Record After Wall Streets Breaks Out of Its Lull

15 hours ago

House Speaker Mike Johnson Headed to Fresno on April 4

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend