KPIX has been marking Overdose Awareness Week by looking at a city that has shared a very similar experience as San Francisco. Fentanyl actually arrived in Vancouver before San Francisco. The results have been devastating for both cities.
There are several different approaches British Columbia has tried to save lives, things like opening safe consumption sites and providing a regulated supply of drugs for some users. The more permissive approach has stirred some opposition from Vancouver residents . In San Francisco, there was an unofficial safe-use site in operation for a little while.
The Tenderloin Linkage Center was opened in early 2022 , operated by contractors for the city. It was originally announced as a connection point to services. It ultimately became a defacto safe consumption site for users, generating some controversy and pushback from neighbors.
Mayor London Breed decided to close it down at the end of that year . That short-lived experiment raised some questions: Should safe-use sites be part of the city's portfolio? What other things is the city trying to get people linked up with help? And how might the upcoming election alter the city's approach? "I did not see a way out until they showed up," said Michael in his Tenderloin hotel. "I didn't think I could do it by myself.
I didn't care if I did it by myself." He is talking about his help he has received from his psychiatric clinical pharmacist, Damian Peterson. He's making a house call to deliver this medica.