The rate of death due to opioid-related addictions in the City of San Diego is higher than the average in California. This has made the quality of care and the number of rehabilitation centers available in San Diego a major topic of discussion for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Recently, the Board unanimously directed Helen Robbins-Meyer, the county’s chief administrative officer, to conduct 180 check-ups on operating centers to ensure compliance with state guidelines and are encouraging primary care doctors to offer MAT services. These initiatives took place after the continuous efforts and requests of Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar.
While Desmond was more concerned with the availability of treatment centers for his constituents, Gaspar focused on the quality of treatment. Desmond expressed his district’s need for these facilities and the sense of safety they create in communities. He also signified the importance of nationwide addiction therapy services and repeated his well-documented support for increased local resources.
Gaspar’s main concern was with having methadone clinics within each community. Methadone clinics are tasked with the oversight of treatment, observing dosage, providing consultation services, and any other primary care facilitation. This makes clinic inspections vital to the quality of care patients receive at these treatment facilities.
These notions were even backed by Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, the only Democrat on the Board of Supervisors. Fletcher emphasized the importance of the Board’s decision, saying it was a “very important step for the county to streamline [policy], so we can rapidly site these facilities. Fletcher went on to say he was proud and “grateful to see this Board take action.”
With the continuous leadership of Desmond and Gaspar along with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services, San Diego will hopefully see a decrease in the need for these services over time.
