Jan 22, 2025
The Emergency Medical Services Buprenorphine Use Pilot Program (EMSBUP) will support Local EMS Agencies (LEMSAs) and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers to provide treatment and access points for patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD). EMS agencies participating in the EMSBUP program will address substance use disorder as a treatable emergency condition, utilizing paramedics to identify and treat patients who would benefit from medication-assisted treatment.
The program will support LEMSAs to:
- Assist prehospital agencies to implement EMSBUP.
- Coordinate with Navigators to provide linkage to care.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the EMSBUP treatment model by collecting de-identified data for the Bridge Patient Outcomes research study and monthly performance metrics.
- Identify linkage to care options for EMS patients with an OUD and provide a system for patients who sign out AMA (Against Medical Advice) to have access to outpatient treatment options. This program will provide all participating LEMSAs with access to materials, training, and technical assistance for navigators, clinicians, nurses, and other hospital staff and stakeholders.
This project receives funding from the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Project Leads:
Jan 22, 2025
The BUPE Project aims to design, develop and implement a buprenorphine performance registry and referral system to track the performance of prehospital and hospital buprenorphine programs in California and manage addiction services referrals from emergency medical services (EMS) to social services. Current programs use various manual means to understand the longitudinal care episode of their patients facing opioid use disorder. This registry and referral system will automate many areas of such work, saving resources for each operation and creating new visibility across operations.
This project receives funding from the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Project Leads:
Oct 8, 2024
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) leads the efforts on Behavioral Health Transformation which is the effort that will implement the ballot initiative known as Proposition 1. Behavioral Health Transformation complements and builds on California’s other major behavioral health initiatives including, but not limited to, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, the California Behavioral Health Community-Based Organization Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) Demonstration proposal, Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis, 988 expansion, and the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP).
Californians voted to pass Proposition 1 to modernize the behavioral health delivery system, improve accountability and increase transparency, and expand the capacity of behavioral health care facilities for Californians. Proposition 1 includes up to $6.4 billion in bonds to build new supportive housing and community-based treatment settings. DHCS is enacting changes resulting from Proposition 1 through the Behavioral Health Transformation project.
More information can be found on the Behavioral Health Transformation website.
This project receives funding from Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF) through California’s Opioid Settlements.
Oct 8, 2024
The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) supported the development and procurement of a lower cost, generic version of a naloxone nasal product. In partnership with Amneal Pharmaceuticals, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) makes naloxone more accessible statewide. Through this investment, announced as part of Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis, the DHCS Naloxone Distribution Project, will be able to distribute even more naloxone to communities in need and support California’s fight against the opioid epidemic.
California’s partnership with Amneal providing naloxone nasal spray at a significantly lower price, is already benefiting Californians. In May 2024, the state purchased approximately 24,000 units for the California Department of Health Care Services Naloxone Distribution Project, leading to $415,000 in savings.
The CalRx®-branded over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone nasal spray, 4mg, labeled either as “CalRx” or “Amneal” is now available for free to eligible organizations through the Naloxone Distribution Project. California business entities and organizations seeking to purchase CalRx® OTC naloxone HCL nasal spray, 4 mg, for $24 per box, can do so by visiting CalRx®’s Get Naloxone.
The opioid crisis remains a major public health challenge, with thousands of lives lost each year due to overdoses. Naloxone is a critical tool in combating the opioid crisis, capable of reversing opioid overdoses swiftly and effectively. By making CalRx®-branded naloxone nasal spray readily accessible, California is taking a significant step toward reducing the number of opioid-related deaths and ensuring that OTC naloxone is available when and where it is needed most.
More information about California’s CalRx®-Branded Naloxone can be found on HCAI’s website.
This project receives funding from Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF) through California’s Opioid Settlements.
Oct 8, 2024
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH)/Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch (SAPB) provides fentanyl program grants to increase local efforts in education, testing, recovery, and support services to implement Chapter 783, Statutes of 2022 (AB 2365). In 2023, CDPH-SAPB awarded six one-time grants allocated by region: two in Northern California, two in the Central Valley, and two in Southern California. The total funding period will span three years until February 2027.
More information about the Fentanyl Overdose Prevention Grant can be found on the CDPH website.
Additional information on the Overdose Prevention Initiative (OPI) including the CA Overdose Surveillance Dashboard can be found on the Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch (SAPB) website.
This project receives funding from Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF) through California’s Opioid Settlements.
