Choosing Change is a program of the Contra Costa County health department, offering buprenorphine-based MAT to county residents with Medi-Cal. Patients are supported by a team of nurses who work an easy-access support phone line, a prescribing clinician and group medical visits—either in person or using telehealth—that build community and support among peers.

Crossroads Recovery Center in Bishop, CA doesn’t provide MAT on site, but they partner closely with the emergency department in this rural region to provide immediate support services to anyone who begins MAT in the hospital, or nearby clinics.

Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc. uses medications for addiction treament (MAT) in their medical detox, residential treatment and intensive outpatient settings—and starting in late 2025, also through a mobile van!

At the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus in Oakland sits the Alameda Health System (AHS) Bridge Clinic. The Bridge program trains and supports emergency department staff to identify and engage people with substance use disorders, provides a clinician consult service to support MAT initiation and provides outpatient MAT care to patients after hospital discharge, in partnership with substance use navigators, or SUNs. 

The Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR) provides harm reduction services in Eureka, CA, including linkage to MAT through telehealth in partnership with BrightHeart Health. Their low-barrier mobile model includes minimal requirements and avoids the stigma associated with traditional brick and mortar health care settings.

Adventist Health Bakersfield serves the greater Bakersfield region in the Central Valley. Built upon the California Bridge model, substance use navigators in the emergency department (ED) support clinicians to connect patients to buprenorphine—either by initiating bupe in the ED following an overdose, or providing a prescription patients can fill in a pharmacy post-discharge, if they still have opioids in their system.

The Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA) offers cutting-edge MAT services in residential and outpatient treatment sites throughout LA County. However, one of the key features of their program is the way they work with people who have unstable housing to step down from residential treatment into “Recovery Bridge Housing”—a spot in one of the 14 houses L.A. CADA owns or leases throughout the county, designed to provide extra support for people maintaining their MAT while preparing to transition back to independent housing.

Imperial Valley Medical Clinic has two locations in Imperial County: El Centro and Calexico. Established back in 1971, these clinics have provided methadone to hundreds of people—many of whom are monolingual Spanish speakers—with staff who have lived most of their lives in the Imperial Valley, many of whom have worked with Imperial Valley Medical Clinic for 20-30 years.

Contra Costa County’s Opioid Multi-Agency Response Initiative (OMRI), known as “Bupe in the Field,” supports emergency medical personnel in offering buprenorphine to patients who have experienced opioid overdose to reduce withdrawal symptoms while in transport, and provide a bridge to sustained engagement in MAT.

The Northern Valley Harm Reduction Coalition (NVHRC) in Chico, CA, is a harm reduction program led by and for people with lived experience of drug use. NVHRC doesn’t offer MAT on site, but engages people who are otherwise disconnected from the health care system and help them overcome barriers to accessing MAT.