Recognizing that the emergency department is a potential vital touchpoint for initiating evidence-based interventions for opioid use disorder (OUD), the California Bridge Program is a partnership with the California Poison Control System and the California Hub and Spoke System to provide 24-7 emergency access to initiation of buprenorphine treatment for OUD in all California communities.

Since 2018, the CA Bridge program has been building treatment capacity for opioid use disorder (OUD) in hospitals throughout California. Through technical assistance, clinical training, and a navigator program that guides treatment navigators based in emergency departments (ED), CA Bridge has created a path to reduce barriers to treatment.

This program — Support for Hospital Opioid Use Treatment (Project SHOUT), now known as California Bridge — provides clinical leaders with the tools they need to start and maintain patients on buprenorphine or methadone during hospitalizations for any condition, be it medical, surgical, or obstetric.

Oakland, CA (February 13, 2019) – The Public Health Institute’s Bridge program has selected 31 health facilities from across the state to participate in the California Bridge Program, an accelerated training program for healthcare providers that will enhance access to around-the-clock substance use disorder treatment in California communities hit hardest by the opioid epidemic.