Copyright San Diego Union-Tribune
County leaders are making money available to addiction treatment organizations willing to create detox beds in downtown San Diego, part of an effort to expand services for homeless individuals especially. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to formally ask outside groups to apply for the funds. Officials hope the process will eventually lead to 44 new beds, although it’s not yet clear how fast those spots might open up or what the final price tag may be. “Every dollar we invest in withdrawal management saves multiple dollars downstream, in emergency response, incarceration and medical costs,” Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said at a press conference before the vote. “But more importantly, it saves lives.” While the region’s homeless population faces many bottlenecks, the lack of detox beds is especially acute. Until recently there were only around 100 spots in the entire county that accepted Medi-Cal, the state health insurance for low-income residents, resulting in long wait times for people actively trying to get help. That total recently got a boost from Father Joe’s Villages, which converted one of its downtown shelters into a detox and sober-living program. That facility fully re-opened in September with 44 detox beds that together should annually cost about $2 million. The fact that the county is looking to launch the same number of spots appears to be a coincidence, although two leaders from Father Joe’s — Chief Health Officer Megan Partch and Chief Strategy Officer Joshua Bohannan — showed up to Tuesday’s board meeting to praise the proposal. Bohannan later said in an email that the nonprofit was interested in applying for the contract. “Through the support of the County, we hope the downtown community can have increased access to substance use treatment as quickly as possible,” Bohannan wrote. Another potential applicant is the McAlister Institute, which already offers a range of related services. The proposal was introduced by Montgomery Steppe and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. County staffers said it will probably take a few months to create and release the application. The contract is to initially last one year. Leaders are counting on the beds being eligible for Medi-Cal funding, which is heavily dependent on support from Washington, D.C. The need for more addiction treatment is one area of agreement between Democrats and Republicans, and President Donald Trump is pushing homelessness organizations nationwide to focus on substance use disorders. Federal budget cuts and the ongoing shutdown, however, are threatening many forms of aid, and it’s unclear how those changes might affect initiatives like Medi-Cal. At least 218 homeless individuals died countywide last year because of drugs, according to preliminary data from the medical examiner. That was nonetheless a significant improvement over the year prior when the death toll was around twice as large. Officials previously credited several efforts, including the mass distribution of the opioid overdose reversing spray naloxone, with saving lives. Not everyone recovering from an addiction needs a detox bed. The spots are generally reserved for people who are more medically fragile and participants agree to constant medical supervision. Stays often last between 10 and 14 days.
