Open to Everyone – California’s New Substance Use Support Helpline is Available Statewide to Anyone Who Needs It
Guest Author: Phillip Castro, CA Bridge Connect Navigator
“You’ve been a wealth of information,” said a recent caller to the CA Bridge Connect helpline, searching for support for her brother’s fentanyl use. “I really appreciate the help and the options you’ve presented to me for my brother.”
This caller is a perfect reflection of what makes CA Bridge Connect unique – no matter who you are, or where you are in the state, you can contact the helpline for support and answers.
CA Bridge Connect, which launched in April 2026, is California’s statewide substance use support helpline connecting people to medications for addiction treatment (MAT) and other resources. A real person – a trained Navigator, like myself – answers every call or text. Based on the caller’s location and goals, Navigators pull from our vast CA Bridge Connect network to connect them to the right resources.
That might mean finding a telehealth appointment or the right pharmacy for someone struggling with kratom or fentanyl use; it might mean a conversation with a provider about resources in their region; or it might mean simply letting someone know what resources are available to them, even if they aren’t quite ready to use them. After linkage to care, Navigators follow up with callers at regular intervals to ensure no barriers remain to making appointments, accessing medications, and more.
Since April, the helpline has received nearly a thousand calls, texts, and referrals from over 600 people.
Unique to CA Bridge Connect is the variety of ways people can contact and remain engaged with the helpline. In addition to calling or texting from Monday-Friday, 9 am – 5 pm, people can submit a referral at any time for themselves or on behalf of someone else. A Navigator reviews each referral and creates a follow-up plan.
Unlike traditional referral pathways, CA Bridge Connect enables a referrer to opt in for continued communication with a Navigator – receiving contact updates as well as referral outcomes – so the referrer remains engaged in a patient’s journey to care.
CA Bridge Connect uses a “no wrong door” approach. While valuable substance use support resources are available throughout the state, the challenge is overcoming barriers to access. CA Bridge Connect’s role is to help anyone, whether it’s a person seeking support, their loved one, or their health provider, overcome those barriers for quick and compassionate connection to care.
Get Involved
Call: 1-800-944-1807
Text: 1-833-308-0461
Make a Referral
Questions? Email CA Bridge Connect
