Homeless deaths in Santa Clara County have decreased so far this year despite an opioid crisis and thousands of people living on the streets.
There have been 159 deaths as of Oct. 6, compared to 169 deaths during the same period last year, according to data from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner. One of the most significant decreases in the cause of death or contributing factor to death involves fentanyl. So far this year, there have been 21 fentanyl-related deaths, compared to 51 deaths in the same period last year.
While county officials could not identify a reason for the slight drop in deaths, Dr. Sara Jeevanjee said overdose deaths are trending downward nationally.
Jeevanjee is the medical director of the Valley Homeless Health Care Program, which provides health care services to homeless people, including addiction treatment. In addition to its three locations in San José, the program has medical buses that travel throughout the county and establish outdoor dining areas and shelters.
“Our program has always been really focused on harm reduction and supporting people with substance use disorders, wherever they are,” Jeevanjee told San José Spotlight.
Jeevanjee said the program is one of the largest prescribers of buprenorphine, the medication used to treat addiction to opioids, including fentanyl. They have a team that goes to various homeless encampments several times a week to provide health services. They also distribute buprenorphine and naloxone, a medical antidote for opioid overdoses.
While naloxone is now more available in the county, homeless people who died from opioids this year also had other drugs in their system, such as methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine remains a leading cause or contributing factor to deaths among homeless people, although this year’s 51 methamphetamine-related deaths are a significant decrease from last year’s 96 methamphetamine-related deaths. the same period of time.
Homeless people use methamphetamine because it allows them to be more alert and stay awake at night to defend themselves from attacks, said advocate Shaunn Cartwright. She organizes an annual Memorial Every year, homeless deaths are recorded and each one is tracked. There is a stigma associated with homeless people being drug addicts, but drugs are often used as a way to cope with the mental and physical stressors of not being in a safe and stable environment.
“Especially if you are a woman, you have to defend yourself against sexual advances from homeless and homeless men,” Cartwright told San José Spotlight. “People tend to self-medicate and that’s the same for people who are housed.”
Cartwright said some drug deaths could be prevented if people had test strips to determine what might be added to the drug.
Many of the homeless people who died also had health problems, such as cancer or heart, liver or lung disease. More than 50 people who died this year were over 60 years old.
A key difference between last year’s deaths and this year’s has been the scorching weather, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees last week. There have been nine documented heat-related deaths so far this year, compared to zero last year. Communication about cooling centers often does not reach homeless people, and it can be difficult for someone without transportation to reach them.
Last week there were six deaths during the heat wave, although the causes are still pending.
To investigate the cause of death, an investigator from the county medical examiner’s office will interview people who lived around the deceased, search the immediate area and discover the circumstances that led to the death.
Kathryn Kaminski, acting director of the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing, said her office will continue to house as many people as possible so they are not exposed to the elements. He said they are on track to house about 4,000 people this year.
“The county and its partners have been working very hard to provide them with assistance, both to prevent them from becoming homeless and to provide them with the resources they need to access housing,” Kaminski told San José Spotlight.
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or follow @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
