VOSD Podcast: San Diego's Detox Bed Deficit

Many San Diegans who are addicted to drugs are begging for help.

One intake specialist at a local detox program said that at least once a week, someone stops her on her way to work, begging for a detox bed so they can get clean.

For the entire San Diego region, there are about 70 beds where Medi-Cal patients can get the help needed to detox. None are in the city of San Diego, where about half of fentanyl overdose deaths occurred in recent years.

This week on the VOSD Podcast, senior investigative reporter Lisa Halverstadt joins hosts Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Andrew Keatts to talk about her latest story on the detox bed deficit.

As fentanyl and homelessness crises are surging, many San Diegans are seeking a safe place to get clean. But Halverstadt’s reporting shows that many are forced to wait weeks for a bed — or never get one at all. Hear that interview around minute 14 in the podcast.

All Hail the Schools Guide

It’s back! This week, we released the 2023 Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools — our yearly magazine made to be a one-stop resource for education for the county.

With our partners at UC San Diego, we organized data for more than 700 schools so parents and guardians can pour over all options available for their kids. We’ve also got how-to guides, a school lingo cheat sheet and explainers on recent education changes like transitional kindergarten. Get your copy free copy here. Tell your parent friends.