In February 2019, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman called for the creation of a Methamphetamine Task Force, coordinated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The Methamphetamine Task Force was composed of multidisciplinary stakeholders and partners from a variety of sectors, including medical and public health professionals, researchers, substance use disorder treatment providers, emergency responders, criminal justice and law enforcement officials, drug policy experts, and people who use or had used methamphetamine. The Task Force was charged with developing and releasing a comprehensive report with recommendations that would lead to a reduction in the medical and social impacts of methamphetamine use on San Franciscans.
Facente Consulting’s role was to facilitate four half-day Methamphetamine Task Force meetings between April and September 2019, as well as to participate in biweekly planning meetings to ensure the Task Force was as productive as possible. As the facilitator for a group with multiple stakeholders, Dr. Facente navigated the power dynamics in the room while also making sure there was active participation from the 22 members. To support Task Force discussions, Facente Consulting also facilitated a series of focus groups to gather input about potential recommendations from topic experts. The Task Force developed a robust set of recommendations, included in the final report, to improve how San Francisco addresses methamphetamine use.