California's Treatment Boom Paradox: More Rehab, More Overdoses
Source: Public health – The Conversation
Orange County's expansion of addiction treatment infrastructure has coincided with rising overdose deaths among out-of-state patients. Proximity to services alone doesn't reduce harm and may attract vulnerable populations without adequate support infrastructure. The finding challenges the assumption that supply-side solutions—more beds, more clinics—automatically improve outcomes. Gaps in aftercare, housing stability, and coordination between treatment episodes appear to matter more. States and counties building treatment centers without simultaneous investment in stabilization services, peer support networks, and safe housing may concentrate risk rather than mitigate it.