Scaling Emergency Department Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Across California to Reduce Overdose Deaths, 2019–2023
Elizabeth A. Samuels, Allison D. Rosen, Melissa Speener, John Kaleekal, Mariah M. Kalmin, David Goodman‐Meza, Steven Shoptaw, Serena Clayton, Chunqing Lin, Arianna Campbell, Aimee Moulin, Andrew A. Herring
Abstract
Since April 2019, CA Bridge has worked with emergency departments (EDs) in diverse geographic and emergency care settings across California to scale up low-threshold buprenorphine access, patient navigation programs, harm reduction services, and take-home naloxone. Between April 2019 and June 2023, 268 (81.0%) of 331 acute care hospitals in California received funding and technical assistance from CA Bridge and completed data reporting. These hospitals provided navigation services during 279 025 patient encounters and gave patients buprenorphine in 89 549 ED visits. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(9):874–878. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307710 )