Governor Gavin Newsom launched CA Bridge Connect, a free statewide call- and text-based helpline offering same-day help for Californians seeking treatment for opioid use, the governor's office said. The line can be reached by calling 1-800-944-1807 or texting 1-833-308-0461.
The confidential helpline serves people seeking help, along with families, caregivers and clinicians, regardless of insurance coverage, according to the state. Callers can get same-day referrals to Behavioral Health Navigators, who assess a person's needs, coordinate real-time referrals to clinics, emergency departments, community providers and telehealth providers, and, when appropriate, prescribe Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT).
"CA Bridge Connect further enforces our commitment to ensuring Californians have access to timely substance use treatment when and where they need it," said Department of Health Care Services Director Michelle Baass.
The new line builds on the state's existing partnership with the Public Health Institute's CA Bridge program, which launched in 2018 as what the state describes as the country's largest emergency department-based opioid addiction treatment model. The Department of Health Care Services also partnered with California's 988 crisis call centers and the Addiction Treatment Locator, Analysis and Standards (ATLAS) treatment locator to list CA Bridge Connect as a resource within those systems.
According to the state, 40% of patients offered treatment in the emergency department accepted it, a figure that rose to 85% when they saw a substance use navigator.
The state also cited other steps to address the opioid crisis, including offering CalRx-branded over-the-counter naloxone at a lower price and providing free naloxone kits through the Naloxone Distribution Project, which the state says have reversed more than 460,000 overdoses. In 2022, Newsom signed SB 184, requiring treatment facilities to offer MAT or maintain a referral process to MAT providers, and in 2024 he signed AB 2376, which gave hospitals more flexibility to expand beds for substance use disorder treatment.