DPH outlines Mental Health SF metrics, ICM wait times and overdose prevention goals

At the San Francisco Health Commissions Jan. 3 meeting, DPH behavioral health leaders presented early performance metrics for Mental Health SF, laid out waiting-time data for intensive case management (ICM), and described targets and programs to reduce overdose deaths.

DPH reported 14 ICM programs serving adults and said the median wait time for clients beginning ICM was 35 days. The presenter noted stratified analyses that showed variation by age, gender and language, but said most differences were not statistically significant given current sample sizes; the gender difference was highlighted as statistically significant. DPH said countermeasures include hiring additional staff, issuing an RFP to expand ICM services and improving care flow to step people down into routine outpatient services.

On overdose prevention, the department reported a preliminary count of 556 overdose deaths in San Francisco from January to November 2022 and described a strategy driven by harm-reduction programs, syringe-access and naloxone distribution. DPH set specific goals: increase naloxone distribution from roughly 47,000 kits to 75,000 kits annually within 12 years and to 100,000 kits within about 3 years; make naloxone available in at least 50% of supportive housing facilities in the near term and 100% in the longer term; and reduce fatal overdoses by 15% citywide by 2025 with a 30% reduction in racial disparities for the groups with the highest rates.

The presenter also gave a brief Care Court update, noting the statute (signed last September) requires phased rollout beginning October 2023 with San Francisco among an early cohort and that the city has received one-time planning funds. DPH said it is coordinating with courts, the mayors office and state agencies on enrollment estimation and resource needs. Commissioners asked for clarity on conditional grants (the presenter said the award requires paperwork and final approvals) and pressed for regular reporting on progress toward the departments stated targets.

DPH said it will publish wait-time data every six months and continue to refine metrics. The commission welcomed the metrics but requested clearer stretch goals, routine progress updates and additional staffing analysis to understand how hiring constraints might limit rapid scale-up.