About the California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN)

Since 2018, the California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN) has led the effort to provide a statewide forum for coalitions, organizations, and individuals working to combat the overdose crisis in California.

COPN is the largest overdose prevention network in the country, with 32 active coalitions representing 85% of California's 39 million people.

• We are currently running our 5th Accelerator Program for local coalitions

• 130 AmeriCorps VISTA members have served in local coalitions  

• Our work has led to a 21% reduction in fatal opioid overdoses in CA communities with an opioid coalition between 2015 and 2018. (Prev Med. 2021 Dec; 153:106861)

Our mission

We help coalitions, organizations, and individuals working at the forefront of California’s overdose epidemic by providing access to knowledge, training, and resources to implement proven solutions that save lives.

We are building a movement to strengthen connections within communities. We believe that by working together, we can lower the supply of opioids, promote recovery from addiction, and prevent unnecessary deaths.

Our history

In 2015, the California Health Care Foundation developed a support network for the growing number of local opioid safety coalitions across California. An assessment led by the Public Health Institute demonstrated that counties with network-backed coalitions had a faster decline in opioid prescribing and nearly double the rate of addiction treatment.

Backed with this evidence, the California Opioid Safety Network (COSN) launched its Accelerator Program in 2017, dramatically increasing the impact of coalitions statewide.

In 2020, COSN became the first state-focused program under the National Overdose Prevention Network and rebranded as the California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN).