Another hearing on treatment & overdoses today. 700 overdoses in 2020, yet the Director of the Department of Public Health is not here. Nothing from the Mayor. We're all demanding solutions as big as the problems we are facing in our city, and there's business as usual.

I asked DPH to demonstrate how they're streamlining, expanding immediate access to treatment. There was only discussion of what they're thinking of doing.

I asked what they're doing to get people from shelters, shelter in place hotels, into residential treatment. Again, not much

There are programs that work, but they're often getting little support. Harm reduction is essential, and we need more of it, but it cannot meet this challenge of addiction on its own. We need treatment that is culturally competent, accessible, immediate, with different options.

We have drafted laws, including Mental Health SF, which will absolutely help. And I am introducing additional laws. But I'm not sure this is fundamentally an issue of more laws--we need leadership on this issue in our executive branch that has been tragically lacking.

We know what it looks like to respond to an epidemic. If you tried to open a business during shelter in place, you'd be immediately shut down. Every hospital, every establishment has strict COVID protocols. Where's our fentanyl protocols? Where's the urgency to save lives?

I appreciate Sup Stefani for calling this hearing, and for the many people in our community who do heroic work, from DOPE project to Glide to the Recovery Taskforce, but I am still frustrated and angry that we aren't seeing the changes and urgency operationally that are needed.

I am going to make treatment and overdose prevention a top budget priority--but it can't only be more funding. We need results. We need impact. Coordination. Right now the city is failing.