There are calls for more urgent action to address opioid overdoses after the number of deaths among unhoused San Franciscans spiked during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Researchers at UCSF found that during the first year of the crisis, twice as many people experiencing homelessness died compared to previous years – the vast majority because of drug overdoses.
Dr. Maria Raven, Chief of Emergency Medicine at UCSF, told KCBS Radio's "As Prescribed" on Thursday that isolation during the early lockdowns likely contributed but adds that bigger problems persist even as the COVID-19 situation improves.
"I'm not feeling as hopeful about the proportion of overall deaths that are due to substance use just because we've seen this continued trend upward year after year," Raven explained.
She said people using drugs needs services where they are.
What is most important is ending people's homelessness.
"We have to have a housing first approach which means that we need to be able to house people even if they are using drugs," she said. "That shouldn't be a factor because it's really hard to do things like stop using if you don't have a roof over your head and you're worried about a lot of other things that are happening during your day just to get food and find somewhere to sleep."
According to data from the Office of the San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner, preliminary findings show that accidental overdose deaths were 7% lower in 2021 when compared to 2020.
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