California mobilizes 112 community organizations to take on the overdose crisis and expand access to care

What you need to know: California is partnering with 112 community organizations to help prevent opioid and stimulant use, reduce overdose risk, and connect people to treatment and recovery services. The Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Prevention and Education Program is investing more than $21 million statewide to provide outreach and education, distribute naloxone, host workshops, offer peer navigation, and strengthen local connections to treatment and recovery services.

SACRAMENTO - California is partnering with 112 community organizations to help prevent opioid and stimulant use, reduce overdose risk, and connect people to treatment and recovery services. Through the Department of Health Care Services' (DHCS) Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Prevention and Education Program, which is investing more than $21 million statewide, trusted community organizations will provide outreach and education, distribute naloxone, host workshops, offer peer navigation, and strengthen local connections to treatment and recovery services.

California is acting with urgency to save lives and strengthen communities. By partnering with local organizations that people know and trust, we are expanding prevention, education, and pathways to treatment so more Californians can get help and heal. Every life saved matters, and we are all in on solutions that reduce overdoses and connect people to care.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Nearly a third of all adults in the United States know someone who has died of a drug overdose, and nearly half of all adults have a family member or close friend who has been or is currently addicted to drugs. To fight this epidemic, we must reduce stigma around treatment and recovery, improve accessibility to evidence-based services and local resources, and ensure our communities understand addiction and substance use disorders. The Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Prevention and Education Program has shown significant progress in these efforts. In one year, from September 2024 to September 2025:

• 28,109 patients received opioid use disorder treatment services

• 6,713 patients received stimulant disorder treatment

• 24,274 patients received recovery support services (recovery housing, peer/recovery coaching, employment support, case management, etc.)

• 14,090 new patients started medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder

• An estimated 164,349 individuals, including 11,029 school-aged youth, received prevention education.

A community-led response

The partnerships and investments announced today advance California's statewide work to prevent overdose deaths through preventative education, treatment, recovery, and community-based supports. From September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, awarded organizations will implement activities tailored to the needs of their communities, including:

• Community outreach and education campaigns that raise awareness of opioid and stimulant risks.

• Naloxone distribution and training. Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose and save lives.

• Workshops, town halls, and engagement events co-designed with community leaders.

• Peer navigation, screening, and direct personal introductions to treatment and recovery supports.

• Partnerships with healthcare, behavioral health, schools, tribes, faith-based groups, and overdose prevention and response organizations to strengthen referral pathways.

• Innovative approaches that increase access to prevention and treatment resources for populations disproportionately affected by substance use.

"These investments empower local partners to meet people where they are, reduce stigma, and open doors to vital services," said Department of Health Care Services Director Michelle Baass. "When communities have the tools to educate, engage, and navigate people to treatment and recovery, we make measurable progress against opioid and stimulant harms."

The Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Prevention and Education Program is funded through the State Opioid Response (SOR) IV grant awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The SOR grant program provides resources to fight the opioid overdose crisis by increasing access to FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder and supporting the continuum of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for opioid use disorder and other concurrent substance use disorders.

Addressing the opioid and overdose epidemic

The overdose epidemic claims thousands of lives each year throughout the nation - and California is combating this through an all-hands-on-deck approach. A critical component of that is overdose prevention services and methods like naloxone, which is capable of reversing opioid overdoses swiftly and effectively.

The state is offering CalRx-branded over-the-counter naloxone at a significantly lower price, while eligible California entities can receive free naloxone kits from the Naloxone Distribution Project, whose kits have reversed over 460,000 overdoses.

Among other actions and legislation focused on addressing and treating the opioid crisis, in 2022, the Governor signed SB 184, which requires treatment facilities to either offer MAT directly to clients or have an effective referral process in place with narcotic treatment programs, community health centers, or other MAT providers. In 2024, he signed AB 2376 (Bains) to increase the number of hospital beds available for the treatment of substance use disorder, including MAT, by giving facilities new flexibility in managing their treatment slots. There are a number of projects focused on expanding MAT access, including the Tribal MAT Project, MAT Access Points, the California Hub & Spoke System, and more.

The state is also taking aggressive action to target fentanyl trafficking and disrupt the supply of deadly illicit drugs in the state, including partnering with local law enforcement and expanding the California National Guard's role in drug interdiction across the state and at the border.

If you or someone you know needs help: call 1-800-944-1807 or text 1-833-308-0461, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. For more information on opioids and how you can protect yourself and loved ones, visit Opioids.CA.GOV, a one-stop shop for Californians seeking resources on prevention and treatment.