Overdose affects us all
We commemorate International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, and throughout the month of August, to bring awareness to the realities of how drug overdose affects our communities, to honor the lives of those we’ve lost to overdose, to reduce the stigma associated with drug-related death, and to share information and resources to prevent drug-related harm.
Overdose is preventable
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with nearly 70,000 deaths occurring every year. To educate and provide our community with the resources and information to prevent overdose, we offer response training and supplies through our Harm Reduction Center and outreach sites.
Get resources
Mobile syringe & health sites
Our teams are out in neighborhoods across San Francisco providing safe injection and proper disposal supplies and services that help you manage your health, prevent overdose, and stop HIV and hepatitis C transmission.
Find us
Advocate for safe consumption spaces
Join the HIV Advocacy Network at San Francisco AIDS Foundation to help bring safe consumption spaces (also known as safe injection facilities and overdose prevention programs) to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Further reading
December Updates from Syringe Access Services
The SAS team shares that the Outreach and Mobile Health Access Van has returned after getting some amazing outfitting.
November Updates from Syringe Access Services
The SAS team reports a big increase in the number of people who access services last month, and talks about the technology that has contributed to the effort.
Expanding services for people who use meth
With fatal meth overdose on the rise, we are exploring new ways to help people make changes to their use of meth and other stimulants.
Updates from Syringe Access Services
John Halifax explains the tech behind onsite drug quality testing, Andrew Reynolds gives a history lesson, and Laura Thomas provides a policy update.
Glory holes, anonymous sex & safer cruising during COVID-19
Queer people have always have and always will find creative ways to get our needs met. So it’s no surprise that people are developing innovative harm reduction strategies to have safer sex as we live with COVID-19.
Am I drinking too much? Partying too hard?
Two of our counselors with the Stonewall Project shared their thoughts about when the “right time” might be to talk to someone if you’re questioning your use of drugs or alcohol.
What International Overdose Awareness Day means to me
We cherish and honor the people we’ve lost to overdose, and stay connected to as harm reductionists to help each other in connection and community, writes Ro Giuliano, our director of Syringe Access Services.
Have questions about bringing safe injection sites to San Francisco? Here’s some key info.
As momentum grows in bringing supervised consumption services to the Bay Area, know the facts about how these sites may impact our community.
Supervised consumption bill AB 362 stalls; Critical need for overdose prevention services continues
California Assembly Bill (AB) 362, which would have allowed San Francisco and Oakland to authorize pilot overdose prevention programs, will not move forward this legislative session.
Harm reduction “stations” prevent overdose in hotels during COVID-19
Our Syringe Access Services team is ensuring that about 2,000 San Franciscans housed in hotel rooms during COVID-19 have easy access to harm reduction and overdose prevention supplies.
Talking to a loved one about their meth use: Advice from a substance use counselor
Offer your support, set boundaries, educate yourself about the realities of meth use, and avoid demanding that they stop using, said Jeremy Prillwitz, MA, LAADC, a counselor with The Stonewall Project.
With soaring overdose deaths in San Francisco, what more can we do?
Ro Giuliano, director of Syringe Access Services programs & operations, and Laura Thomas, director of harm reduction policy, share how they understand these trends and what we can do in response.