Treating patients with substance use disorders with a medication-first approach is evidence-based and core to the CA Bridge model.

The Emergency Department can be an open door for patients seeking help with addiction. A ground-breaking 2015 study identified Emergency Department visits as opportunities to greatly expand access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment with buprenorphine. Treatment works and can be implemented within any hospital setting—rural, urban, small, large, academic, or critical access.

We support clinicians with medication for addiction treatment (MAT) best practices and more.

We offer hospital clinicians a wide range of materials and resources for treating substance use disorder (SUD) and integrating harm reduction into the Emergency Department. With the removal of the x-waiver requirement, any clinician can now prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD.

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We hold regular, live webinars addressing the most current topics in substance use for acute care clinicians.

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Access our resources

Our extensive collection of materials on treating SUD is used by thousands nationwide. Check out our searchable, open-access resource library.

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Some of our clinical resources include:

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Our clinical experts support hospitals and health systems across California, providing individualized assistance for implementing MAT, troubleshooting common challenges, and connecting to relevant resources. These coaches provide training and presentations upon request. Our goal is to help your hospital reach the standard of care for treating SUD patients.

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Additional ways that we support MAT in hospitals.

CA Bridge has a network of providers working in emergency care settings across the state who identify the most recent trends in drug use and clinical practice, allowing us to respond quickly. Through our clinical leadership learning collaboratives, we foster innovation in addiction treatment in real-world hospital settings and create tools to share with others. 

Adolescents and young adults are experiencing fast-growing rates of opioid overdose and hospitalization. And yet young people have the lowest rates of access to treatment. A landmark, randomized controlled study demonstrated that Emergency Departments are uniquely positioned to reverse these trends and provide a lifeline to people facing addiction. In partnership with Young People in Recovery, CA Bridge created protocols for adolescent access to MAT and Youth-Facing Signage for hospitals to improve their care for youth. 

As the drug landscape continues to evolve with new contaminants like fentanyl and xylazine, the risks of harm from drug use continue to rise. Helping patients avoid the morbidity and mortality associated with drug use by adopting a culture of harm reduction is core to the CA Bridge model. Whether establishing a naloxone distribution program at your site, ensuring clinical staff feels comfortable coaching patients on harm reduction techniques, or even simply combating stigma against people who use drugs, CA Bridge is passionate about helping our patients live well. Check out our upcoming trainings for the latest on emerging trends and read more about our harm reduction work.

Specific MAT Topics

Clinicians nationwide are contending with an explosion of overdoses driven by fentanyl use and contamination. Hear from our clinical experts about treating patients who use fentanyl with buprenorphine. And check out our resource Fentanyl Frequently Asked Questions.

Some physicians are reluctant to treat patients with buprenorphine due to the perceived risk of precipitated withdrawal, especially as fentanyl and other more potent opioids dominate drug supplies. Our Precipitated Withdrawal 90-Minute Bundle helps doctors understand how to handle precipitated withdrawal on rare occasions when it does occur. You can also hear from our clinical experts as they walk through the bundle and review case examples of patients who have experienced precipitated withdrawal.

Evidence shows that most patients can safely start buprenorphine through our standard Quick Start protocol. A very rare subset of patients may need to be eased into MAT. Check out Starting Buprenorphine with Microdosing and Cross Tapering to learn how this can be accomplished so more patients can begin treatment, even if they are not ideal candidates for the standard recommended dose of buprenorphine in the Emergency Department.

Alcohol is associated with more deaths than any other substance. CA Bridge clinicians have developed clinical guidance for treating alcohol use disorder, a training presentation deck, and tips for navigating patients with alcohol use disorder.

For many communities, using stimulants like methamphetamine is far more common than opioids or other substance use. While there is no perfect solution for treating stimulant use disorders to date, our experts remain up to date with the latest evidence-based practices for supporting patients who use stimulants.Â