Drug treatment provider probed after deaths
California officials are investigating the recent deaths of two men who fatally overdosed while seeking drug treatment at Walden House, a longtime San Francisco facility for those struggling with addiction.
HealthRight 360, which operates Walden House and is the city’s largest provider of drug treatment, reported the deaths — one Tuesday and another three weeks ago — to the California Department of Health Care Services and San Francisco Department of Public Health, as regulations require.
The Department of Health Care Services, which oversees and licenses organizations that provide addiction treatment across the state, is conducting an investigation.
“We’ve had two unfortunate overdose deaths in the program, which as you can probably understand has been pretty traumatic for both the clients and the staff,” said Gary McCoy, a spokesperson for HealthRight 360. “Treatment programs are not immune to the outside world.”
The deaths come as San Francisco struggles to get a handle on its worsening opioid epidemic. The city reported 806 overdose fatalities last year, its deadliest on record. The deaths at Walden House point to the difficulty of treating drug addiction even among those who might seek sobriety, with relapse an ever-present possibility. Fatal overdoses have spiked amid the rise of fentanyl, the super powerful and addictive opioid that drives many fatalities.
Due to fentanyl’s powerful potency, recovering drug users can overdose more easily if they relapse and use the same dosage they did before getting sober.Overdoses continue to mount despite efforts by Mayor London Breed and Gov. Gavin Newsom to crack down on the city’s illicit drug market and push to expand treatment. Breed has proposed to address the problem, in part, through a controversial measure to mandate drug screenings for welfare recipients in the County Adult Assistance Programs. Those deemed to have a substance use disorder would be required to enter a treatment program or face losing their cash assistance from the city.
The two recent deaths occurred at Walden House, 890 Hayes St., which provides a 90day residential treatment program for about 65 clients at a time after they’ve gone through detox.
Before the past month, only one fatal overdose was reported at the facility in the past four years. That occurred in March 2020, according to data from the San Francisco medical examiner’s office. Two additional deaths were reported in 2023 at another HealthRight 360 facility at 214 Haight St., the data indicates.
“It’s not a new phenomenon that substances are snuck into programs,” McCoy said. “But there’s a higher risk for overdoses with fentanyl being in the illicit drug supply.”
HealthRight 360 has taken precautions to try to curb fatal overdoses by providing the overdose-reversal drug Narcan inside every facility it operates.
The city’s Department of Public Health, in response to the recent deaths, requested the organization conduct a review of its policies and procedures to identify additional steps that might be necessary to protect clients.
After Tuesday’s death, Walden House residents were restricted from moving in and out of the building without approval from their supervisors. The measure will probably be in place for one to two weeks, according to McCoy. The purpose is to give officials time to assess the situation and to prevent drugs from being brought into the facility.
A man going through treatment at Walden House said that in response to the second fatality, residents were required to submit urine samples, and staff turned over every room looking for drugs and paraphernalia. The man asked for anonymity, saying he feared repercussions, and the Chronicle agreed not to identify him under its anonymous source policy.
“Drug use within the facility is rampant,” he said.
The client said that he’d seen people smoking fentanyl and methamphetamine in the facility’s bathrooms.
McCoy disputed the notion, reiterating that the organization is an abstinence-based program that prohibits any drug use onsite. Residents at all HealthRight 360 residential facilities are required to store medications with staff in a locked room.
“While there are returns to use for folks, it’s generally not on-site, and if it is, we have protocols,” McCoy said. The client said he’s trying to sustain his momentum and suppress “thoughts to use dope,” but the recent deaths and others’ drug use have made it more difficult. “It’s a little bit unbearable,” he said. “The morale here is awful.”