San Francisco Plan Aims To Reduce Hospital ED Costs
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) plans to call for new services for chronic inebriates in his fiscal year 2007-2008 budget proposal as part of an effort to reduce hospital emergency department costs, the mayor on Thursday told the San Francisco Chronicle in a meeting with the editorial board.
San Francisco spent more than $10.8 million from 2003 to 2006 providing medical services for alcohol-related problems to 219 repeat users of EDs, statistics from the city health department show.
To help address the problem, Newsom is proposing:
- Expanded outreach efforts to chronic inebriates;
- More homeless outreach workers; and
- Funding for "inebriate housing," where people can live and receive services before they have quit drinking.