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Californians looking for free opioid treatment now have a single number to call. Governor Gavin Newsom launched CA Bridge Connect on Aug. 25, a statewide call and text service that connects people to same-day treatment referrals at no cost, regardless of whether they have insurance.
The state describes it as the first service of its kind in the nation to pair immediate help with ongoing follow-up support. To reach it, call 1-800-944-1807 or text 1-833-308-0461, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How CA Bridge Connect Works
The line is confidential, and it is not limited to the person seeking care. Families, caregivers, and clinicians can all use it.
Callers are connected to Behavioral Health Navigators, staff whose job is to assess what a person needs and then coordinate a real-time referral to a clinic, emergency department, community provider, or telehealth provider.
When appropriate, the service can also connect someone to a prescription for Medication for Addiction Treatment, or MAT, an evidence-based approach that pairs medication with clinical support to treat opioid use disorder.
That coordination is the practical difference. Instead of calling clinics one at a time and asking each whether it has an opening and whether it takes your coverage, a navigator does that work in real time.
Who Qualifies for Free Opioid Treatment in California
The state describes the helpline as free and open to Californians regardless of insurance coverage. People who are uninsured, underinsured, or covered by Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, can use the line on the same terms as someone with private insurance. There is no coverage check to get through before a navigator will talk to you.
Cost still enters the picture at the referral stage, because individual programs have their own payment rules. That is precisely where a navigator is useful, and it is worth asking directly about sliding-scale fees, Medi-Cal acceptance, and any charity care or scholarship the program offers.
CA Bridge Connect builds on CA Bridge, a Public Health Institute program that the state calls the country’s largest emergency department based opioid addiction treatment model. CA Bridge launched in 2018 to widen low-barrier access to MAT across hospitals, street medicine teams, and community providers.
The state’s own figures are the argument for scaling the model. Forty percent of patients offered treatment in the emergency department accepted, and among those who saw a substance use navigator, acceptance rose to 85%. Patients who came to the emergency department for reasons unrelated to their substance use accepted treatment more than half the time when it was offered. The pattern suggests that access, not willingness, has been the binding constraint.
Michelle Baass, director of the California Department of Health Care Services, said the service reflects a commitment to timely substance use treatment and to building a system that prioritizes care, dignity, and recovery.
How to Access These Resources
DHCS added CA Bridge Connect to California’s 988 crisis call centers and to the Addiction Treatment Locator, Analysis and Standards locator, known as ATLAS. Someone who reaches either can be routed to the new helpline, which matters for people searching for free opioid treatment who do not know the direct number.
For free overdose prevention supplies, the state sells CalRx-branded over-the-counter naloxone at a reduced price, and eligible California organizations can request free naloxone kits through the state’s Naloxone Distribution Project. Kits from that program have reversed more than 460,000 overdoses.
Finding Free and Low-Cost Rehabs in California
Free opioid treatment in California is easier to reach than it was a week ago, but the referral still depends on asking the right questions. If you or someone you care about needs help paying for care, a few steps are worth taking in order.
Call or text CA Bridge Connect first if you are in California, since a navigator can do the searching for you. Ask any program you are referred to whether it accepts Medi-Cal and whether it offers a sliding scale. Check your Medi-Cal eligibility if you are uninsured, because California covers substance use treatment through the program.
Contact SAMHSA’s free national helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for referrals outside California, which is available around the clock in English and Spanish. Visit Opioids.CA.GOV for state prevention and treatment resources.
Rehabs.org lists free and low-cost treatment options nationwide, including programs that accept Medicaid and programs that offer sliding-scale fees.
Free resources
- CA Bridge Connect (California): call 1-800-944-1807 or text 1-833-308-0461, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free, confidential, no insurance required.
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. Free, confidential, 24/7, English and Spanish.
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988.
- Naloxone Distribution Project: free naloxone kits for eligible California organizations.
- CalRx over-the-counter naloxone: reduced-price naloxone statewide.
- Opioids.CA.GOV: state prevention and treatment resource hub.
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