SF Officials Launch Media Campaign Promoting Addiction Treatment and Recovery Services

San Francisco health officials on Tuesday launched a new media campaign to promote its ongoing drug treatment and recovery services as part of a larger effort to reduce overdose deaths and substance-use disorders.

The initiative, dubbed Living Proof, features videos and ads highlighting the stories of San Franciscans who have been in recovery for years after long struggles with substance abuse.

They serve as “living proof” that treatment can work, SF Department of Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Campaign media will be displayed on billboards, Muni buses and social media platforms, as well as in Lyft rideshare vehicles. A heavy concentration of ads will be placed in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, which have some of the city’s highest overdose rates, officials said.

Dominique McDowell is among the residents featured in the new campaign. Born and raised in the Bayview District, he began using crack cocaine at the age of 15. After eventually seeking addiction treatment, it took him about 14 years to get sober, he said.

“Since I’ve been in recovery, I could write a novel about the good things that happened to me,” said McDowell, who enrolled in City College of San Francisco and became the director of addiction and recovery services at Marin City Health and Wellness Center. “I finished college. I’ve held great jobs. It’s never too late to recover from addiction.”

The city reported 504 overdose deaths between January through September of this year, 70% of them from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s about 50 times stronger than heroin.

“The purpose of this campaign is to educate people that treatment and support services are possible in San Francisco to help people with fentanyl addiction and other substance-use disorders,” Colfax said.

He noted that overdose deaths in San Francisco have been slowly declining – down by about 20% this year to date – as the city has expanded access to treatment programs.

The announcement follows the department’s recent efforts to promote life-saving opioid drug-treatment medications, such as buprenorphine and methadone.

Health officials on Tuesday also announced the launch of a separate initiative: a new, on-demand treatment program, open daily, aimed at connecting people suffering from substance-use disorders with medical professionals who can immediately prescribe buprenorphine.

Treatment options will be accessible in hospitals and 14 primary care clinics throughout the city, along with in permanent supportive housing programs, shelters and in jails.

The Living Proof ads will also highlight SFDPH’s Behavioral Health Access Line, a 24/7 call center to access the city’s substance use and mental health services.

“There are people in our community who don’t know where to go for help,” said Dr. Hillary Kunins, the department’s director of Behavioral Health Services. “So our goal with the Living Proof campaign is to give people the information, the hope and the direction.”

Supervisor Matt Dorsey on Tuesday described his own journey to sobriety after prolonged struggles with addiction. He said the campaign’s focus on real San Francisco residents in long-term recovery is paramount.

“It is something that I carry with me,” he said, noting the importance of “giving the recovery community a seat at the table.”

Juliana Gurrola Nuño and her partner Michael Alvarez, also featured in the media campaign, both struggled for years with serious opioid addictions and now help guide others to recovery.

“Four years ago, we would have never imagined having a beautiful daughter or a nice home to live in,” said Alvarez, who is now a community health worker. “We want people who are using fentanyl or any other substance to know that there are a lot of opportunities to recover from drug addiction.”