Methadone clients by year
The chart below shows the total number of people who were treated with methadone in San Francisco by year.
Methadone is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. It is given only at specialized clinics that also provide counseling and other support for people who use opioids. Methadone works by relieving the symptoms of withdrawal and can protect people from experiencing an unintentional drug overdose death.
We typically only have partial data for the most recent year. Methadone is a long-term treatment for opioid use disorder and people may remain on treatment for more than a year. For example, someone included in the count of methadone clients in 2022 may also be included in count of clients for 2023. People should not try to use the partial count of clients in the most recent year to predict the total number of clients for the year.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
- The number of methadone clients are calculated using program billing data from an electronic medical record system through the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Behavioral Health Services.
- People may receive buprenorphine and methadone in the same year, so you cannot add the Buprenorphine Clients by Year, and Methadone Clients by Year data together to get the total number of people receiving medications for opioid use disorder.
- Different people have different preferences for medications for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine can be prescribed by a primary care provider, and treatment with methadone offers additional support like counseling.
- Methadone data are updated each quarter.
- For more information on where to find treatment in San Francisco, visit https://findtreatment-sf.org/.
Buprenorphine clients by year
The chart below shows the total number of people who received at least one prescription for buprenorphine (i.e., Suboxone, Sublocade, Zubsolv) for the treatment of opioid use disorder in San Francisco by year.
Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder. It is available by prescription from many primary care providers. Buprenorphine works by relieving the symptoms of withdrawal and can protect people from experiencing an unintentional drug overdose death.
We only have partial data for the most recent year. Buprenorphine is a long-term treatment for opioid use disorder and people may remain on treatment for more than a year. For example, someone included in the count of buprenorphine clients in 2022 may also be included in count of clients for 2023. People should not try to use the partial count of clients for the most recent year to predict the total number of clients for the year.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
- The numbers of buprenorphine clients are calculated using prescription information from the California Department of Justice database of controlled substance prescriptions.
- People may receive buprenorphine and methadone in the same year, so you cannot add the Buprenorphine Clients by Year, and Methadone Clients by Year data together to get the total number of people receiving medications for opioid use disorder.
- Different people have different preferences for medications for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine can be prescribed by a primary care provider, and treatment with methadone offers additional support like counseling.
- Buprenorphine data are updated when the State makes these data available.
- For more information on where to find treatment in San Francisco, visit https://findtreatment-sf.org/.
Substance use disorder residential treatment admissions
The chart below shows the number of admissions to a Drug Medi-Cal certified residential substance use disorder treatment in San Francisco by quarter. Residential substance use treatment is intensive treatment for people with substance use disorder. People receive counseling, medications, and other services in residential treatment.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
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These data only include residential treatment admissions to Drug Medi-Cal certified programs.
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People can enter residential treatment more than once a quarter. This means a person might appear in the data more than once. Residential treatment program data are shared with the Department of Public Health through an electronic health record system. These data come from the Behavioral Health Services Quality Management program of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and are updated quarterly.
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For more information on where to find treatment in San Francisco, visit https://findtreatment-sf.org/.
Substance use disorder withdrawal management discharges
The chart below shows the number of discharges from Drug Medi-Cal certified withdrawal management (also known as detox) in San Francisco by quarter. Withdrawal management is a place for people who use drugs and are trying to safely stop taking drugs, where they can be monitored by medical professionals. Many people enter residential substance use treatment after withdrawal management and/or use other forms of treatment such as medications for opioid use disorder after withdrawal management.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
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These data only include withdrawal management discharges from Drug Medi-Cal certified programs.
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People can enter withdrawal management more than once a quarter. This means a person might appear in the data more than once. Withdrawal management program data are shared with the Department of Public Health through an electronic health record system.
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These data come from the Behavioral Health Services Quality Management program of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and are updated quarterly.
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For more information on where to find treatment in San Francisco, visit: https://findtreatment-sf.org/.
Naloxone distribution
The chart below shows the number of naloxone (Narcan) doses distributed by the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) Behavioral Health Services Naloxone Clearinghouse and the SFDPH-funded Drug Overdose Prevention and Education (DOPE) program in San Francisco by quarter. Naloxone is a lifesaving medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
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Naloxone may also be known as the brand name product Narcan.
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The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) Behavioral Health Services Naloxone Clearinghouse, and the SFDPH-funded Drug Overdose Prevention and Education (DOPE) program both distribute naloxone to community-based programs. These programs then distribute naloxone to their participants. This chart shows the number of doses distributed to programs, not their participants. Most of the naloxone distributed to program participants is done by SFDPH-authorized syringe access programs.
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These data do not represent all naloxone distributed in San Francisco. Other organizations distribute naloxone that comes from other sources.
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These data are reported to the Office of Overdose Prevention of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and are updated quarterly.