DATE:
April 30, 2024
25
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
PARTNERING WITH THETitleCITY OF SAN DIEGO THROUGH A REVENUE AGREEMENT TO UTILIZE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS FOR OVERDOSE PREVENTION AND NALOXONE PUBLIC MESSAGING AND AWARENESS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
In October of 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved a framework to combat and address the growing opioid and fentanyl crisis in the region. The framework was developed after a series of convenings with regional stakeholders and experts who provided guidance on the expenditure of approximately $100 million of anticipated opioid settlement funding. In December of 2022, City of San Diego Councilmembers Marni von Wilpert and Raul Campillo also engaged City Council and staff to develop solutions to address the opioid and fentanyl crisis in the City of San Diego (City).
Rates of overdose deaths involving illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogs have increased dramatically over the last several years. According to the Medical Examiner's Office, the number of accidental fentanyl overdose deaths increased by over 2,300% Countywide, from 33 deaths in 2016 to 815 deaths in 2022. Of the 815 fentanyl-related overdose deaths occurring in the County in 2022, 410 or over 50% of those deaths were due to an overdose event that occurred within the City. These fentanyl-related overdose fatalities in the City represent a rate of approximately 29.7 per 100,000 individuals in the City.
The City of San Diego, along with other jurisdictions in the region, partner with the County to provide essential health services, including public health, medical care, mental health for individual with serious mental illness, and substance use treatment services. The County's efforts to combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis have a significant effect on regional outcomes, including within the City.
To bolster efforts within the City, I recommend strengthening the County's partnership with the City by establishing a revenue agreeme...
Click here for full text