This webpage overviews the Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Pilot Project. It is the first in the country to launch a pilot project for paramedics to provide medication for addiction treatment (MAT) directly to patients in withdrawal from opioid use disorder. Lead by Dr. Gene Hern, the EMS Project Director of the CA Bridge program at the Public Health Institute, Dr. David Goldstein, of the Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services Agency, and Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the Medical Director of Contra Costa County Public Health, the project has started serving patients in the region.

This report analyzes research on harm reduction practices in the context of disasters such as climate-related and systems-disrupting disasters.

The research presented in this article examines the extent to which naloxone dispensation at public health vending machines (PHVMs) was associated with changes in opioid-involved overdose fatalities in Clark County, Nevada.

This fact sheet covers the main discussion points and answered questions from the COPN webinar “Naloxone Supply in California.”

The National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC) offers evidence-based strategies that reduce the risk of dying from an overdose. It aims to support people who use drugs, and the people who love people who use drugs, with information to mitigate the risk of an overdose and to stop an overdose while it’s happening.

Santa Barbara Opioid Safety Coalition worked with Santa Maria Joint Union High School District to recently amend a local school policy surrounding medication administration to additionally include naloxone into the policy. This policy allows for the superintendent or designee, or any trained district staff member, to administer naloxone during an opioid overdose. This is an excellent showcase on how COPN coalitions are implementing policy change at the local level.

More people are dying from fentanyl-related deaths than firearm-related homicides in Sacramento County. This web page offers resources and stories about how fentanyl-laced pills have affected Sacramento County, and what we can do to curb overdoses in our communities.

Within the past two years, 93 California hospital emergency departments have ordered 63,816 units of free, take-home naloxone using CA Bridge’s Guide to Naloxone Distribution. Learn about the top 10 hospital naloxone programs and the life-saving impact these hospitals have on their communities.

This is an example of a local naloxone policy implementing by a county office of education. This policy allows for the superintendent or designee or any trained district staff member to administer naloxone during an opioid overdose and includes language to ensure the superintendent or designee to train and distribute naloxone kits to district staff and replace if used or expired.

In 2020, the nation took a significant step forward with the enactment of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, a bill NAMI advocated for that created a nationwide three-digit number (988) to assist people experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis. This fact sheet delves deeper into the purpose of the 988 line, and what it hopes to achieve.

The new 988 mental health hotline is a way of providing 24/7, free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. This fact sheet from SAMHSA answers some FAQs relating to the implementation and sustainability of the 988 line.

The resources and information on this page are designed to help states, territories, tribes, mental health and substance use disorder professionals, and others looking for information on understanding the background, history, funding opportunities, and implementation resources for strengthening suicide prevention and mental health crisis services.

This is an example of a local school district naloxone policy. This tool is able to be used as an example of the legal language and codes that are used within California's school system surrounding naloxone use and administration.

This is an example of a local overdose prevention response plan and naloxone policy and procedures guide. This tool is able to be used with organizations that are trained and adopt this policy and procedures guide to be prepared in an overdose incident.

This document has been produced to assist LHDs with guidance as they develop their context-specific response to overdose spikes as drug trends, overdose frequency, and public health and public safety resources will be unique to each local jurisdiction.

This brief outlines the benefits of a mobile health care system to improve outreach and overdose prevention efforts.

This research from CA Bridge explains how low-threshold ED buprenorphine treatment implemented with a harm reduction approach and active navigation to outpatient addiction treatment was successful in achieving buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in diverse California communities.

This site provides resources and gives first responders or those who use drugs easy access to naloxone.