Overview

• County data show opioid deaths continue to rise locally, with illicit fentanyl driving the increase and polydrug contamination elevating risk.
• People experiencing homelessness account for about 30% of overdose fatalities, highlighting the crisis’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable residents.
• Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services offers a full continuum of care, including medication-assisted treatment, residential and outpatient programs, withdrawal management, recovery support and prevention.
• Health Care for the Homeless provides street and shelter-based services with harm reduction, MAT, counseling and naloxone training, while the Bridge Clinic at Highland Hospital delivers low-barrier MAT and navigation from emergency settings.
• Reports from KFF and the CDC flag sharp increases in teen fentanyl deaths, and local supports such as ACBHCS youth services, NAMI Alameda County and the Fred Finch Youth Center focus on prevention and mental health; multi-year funds from a 2022 settlement are set to bolster these efforts over the next 6 to 18 years.