San Francisco AIDS Foundation

They are set up for 2 levels: outpatient and telemedicine. Of the 8 centers within 14 miles of San Francisco, 3 offer a bed.

No, and nothing else within 14 miles of San Francisco offers one either, so that part will mean a longer drive or a referral.

8 other centers are within about 14 miles, the nearest of them under a mile away in San Francisco.

They are outpatient. If someone needs to be away from where they are using, San Francisco has the nearest beds, under a mile away.

They do not prescribe medication. For opioid use that is worth knowing before you choose, because medication changes what the first weeks look like, and San Francisco has 8 other centers.

It normally means continuing outpatient sessions, a prescriber if medication is involved, and free meetings. Having something scheduled for the first week back is better than having good intentions for it. Ask what the alumni side of it involves, because it is often the most useful free thing on offer.

The useful comparisons are concrete: the level of care, whether there is a prescriber, what the aftercare is, and the cost. Who delivers the therapy matters: licensed clinicians and counselors in training are not the same thing. Ask what happens if somebody wants to leave partway through, because the answer says a lot about how a place is run.

The spread is enormous, from state funded care at no cost to private residential rates that need financing. Public and nonprofit programs often charge on a sliding scale, and some places are free to people who qualify on income. Ask for the itemized version rather than a single total, because the surprises sit in the line items.