New Jobs | PHI's CA Bridge Featured in Health Affairs Special Issue on the Opioid Crisis | Planning & Preparedness Intensive Training Cohort

PHI's CA Bridge Featured in Health Affairs Special Issue on the Opioid Crisis

Hospital emergency departments (EDs) are an underutilized resource in the fight against the opioid overdose crisis. PHI's CA Bridge is helping to save lives by making it possible for people who use drugs to get treatment at any ED, whenever and wherever they need it. A new study, published this month in a special issue of Health Affairs, looks at how CA Bridge is transforming emergency care to include low-barrier buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD), partnering with over 80% of rural, urban, community, public and academic hospitals in California. The evaluation, co-authored by UCLA researchers and CA Bridge leadership, suggests that EDs can reach large numbers of people with OUD, and that buprenorphine uptake is high, with 36% of individuals who receive an initial prescription through ED treatment receiving a subsequent prescription within 40 days. The Health Affairs special issue also includes a poem written by CA Bridge Project Manager Kaia Renouf, exploring the social and emotional toll many people experience during recovery. Read More →

Join State of Equity's Planning & Preparedness Intensive for Leadership In Uncertain Times

Are you a state government worker who is working to preserve and grow your organization’s progress, culture and impact? PHI’s State of Equity is offering a 3-month Planning & Preparedness Intensive (PPI) virtual training program to help state government teams as they build an inclusive society that advances fairness, opportunity and social justice for all. This cohort is designed to bring teams of state government staff together in a shared virtual classroom environment. The cross-agency training setting fosters fresh perspectives, shared strategies and peer learning from across government sectors. Training topics include leadership in uncertain times; power, relationships and trust; communications, implementation and action; and more. Submit your interest to participate by this Friday, September 5; applications will be open September 8-19, 2025. Learn more about the cohort →

Study: Evaluating Family Burden Among U.S. Adults Experiencing Secondhand Harms from Substance Use

While a growing body of research examines the secondhand harms from alcohol and drug use, there has been a lack of specific research on the family burden related to alcohol and other drug harms (ADH) until recently. A new study from PHI’s Alcohol Research Group and RTI International aims to fill this gap by evaluating the familial burden of the secondhand ADHs and finds that people report substantial family impact from others’ use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs—underscoring the need for family support interventions and policy remedies to mitigate these burdens. Read the study →

Upcoming Webinars, Events & Trainings

Faith & Healing: An Interfaith Dialogue on Supporting Refugees: TODAY: Wednesday, September 3 | 12-1:30pm PT. Join PHI’s Center for Immigrant and Refugee Health for a compassionate conversation among faith leaders that explores how Christianity, Judaism and Islam support healing and resilience among a diversity of displaced communities. Speakers will discuss how each of their faiths’ approaches spiritual healing by addressing the trauma of displacement, providing sanctuary to the displaced and fostering a sense of belonging in new places. They also offer insights and inspiration for how communities of faith can work together to support refugees and asylum seekers. Register →

Introducing the Dual Prevention Pill: Lessons Learned & What's Next for Regulatory, Research & Rollout: Thursday, September 4 | 8am-9am PT. Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) are products that combine prevention of at least two sexual and reproductive health risks, including HIV, other STIs and unintended pregnancy. Tune in to the latest "Let's Talk MPT's" webinar on the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP), hosted by The Initiative for MPTs, a project of PHI's CAMI Health. Speakers will highlight the product pipeline, the regulatory pathway and the implementation agenda ahead, followed by a panel discussion with leading experts driving progress in MPTs. Sign Up →

Building CA's Addiction Treatment Access Networks: Virtual Regional Collaborative Meeting: Thursday, September 4 | 9-10:30am PT. Join PHI’s CA Bridge to connect with statewide efforts to expand low-barrier treatment access and participate in 30-minute breakout sessions with peers in your region. Hear from featured speaker Gene Hern, MD, EMS Bridge Project Director and an EMS Physician for Alameda Health System, to learn how Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are driving the expansion of low-barrier medication for addiction treatment (MAT). Community health workers, substance use counselors (CADTP/CCAAPP) and peer support specialists (CalMHSA) can earn up to 1.5 CEUs for free. Register →

Funding Power Ecosystems Using the PHaRE Model for Systems Change: Tuesdays, September 9, 16, 23, 30 | 10am-12:30pm PT | $975-1200. Is your grantmaking organization committed to funding the ideas and work that advance equity and systems change? Are you seeking to learn from communities that have successfully transformed systems and shifted power? Join PHI’s Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) and Ginger Lee Global Health Consulting Group for this four-week workshop that will allow you to see how your grants are contributing to real social change, and how to fund with greater intentionality and purpose. This workshop will improve your grantmaking efforts as informed by the Public Health and Racial Equity Model for Systems Change© (PHaRE Model for Systems Change©). Sign Up →

Lunch & Learn Series: Strategies to Support Mental Health & Resilience: September 9, 10, 17, 23, 24  | 12-1pm PT | $15 per session. PHI's Cypress Resilience Project provides training to support the inherent resilience of individuals and communities who are managing trauma, experiencing grief and navigating mental health challenges. Their September lunch and learn webinar series will cover topics including avoiding burnout, de-escalation, incorporating rest as part of mental health wellness, the power of connection and supporting those who are grieving. Register →

Community Health Solutions: Innovation in Vaping Addiction Cessation: Wednesday, September 10 | 1-2pm PT. Join PHI's Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) for the next installment of Community Health Solutions, a web discussion series that explores innovative approaches to improving public health. This session features Luke McLeod and Ryan Winckel, co-founders of Lesser Evil, a startup harm-reduction company on a mission to shift the conversation around effective methods for overcoming vaping addiction. Join →

From Insights to Actions: Advancing Trauma-Informed Care for AAAI Children & Families: Thursday, September 11 | 9am-5pm ET | Boston University Photonics Center Colloquium, Room 906 | Boston, MA. Join an in-person workshop from PHI's Lotus Project in Boston, MA, designed for mental health service providers, researchers, community-based organizations, AAAI community members and others working to provide trauma-informed care for AAAI children, youth and families. The event will center AAAI children and women to address age-specific mental health challenges among young people and the unique mental health concerns experienced by AAAI women and other groups. Register →

Peer Recovery Support Services for Individuals in Recovery Residences on MOUD: Tuesday, September 16 | 11am-12pm PT. PHI's Alcohol Research Group (ARG) hosts the Studying Treatment & Addiction Recovery Residences (I-STARR) webinar series, which explores how to address challenges to providing and conducting research on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in recovery housing. Recovery housing can be used both following and while individuals are receiving substance use treatment. Those choosing treatment with MOUD as part of their recovery pathway often have difficulties staying on these medications for extended periods of time. This webinar presents findings from a study leveraging the impact of two widely used recovery support services—peer recovery support services and recovery housing—to help those on MOUD continue treatment and return to care after treatment dropout. Sign Up →

Exploring EMDR for AAAI Children & Families: Thursday, September 18 | 12-1:30pm PT. In this webinar, PHI’s Lotus Project will introduce a trauma-focused psychotherapy—the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)—and its implementation with Asian American and Asian Immigrant children and families. This webinar will provide an overview of EMDR modalities, discuss the advantages and challenges of implementing them with the AAAI population and explore the underlying mechanisms through which EMDR can address trauma-related mental health issues. Register →

PHI's Roots of Change at Terra Madre Americas: September 26-28 | Sacramento, CA | Safe Credit Union Convention Center: PHI's Roots of Change is participating at the 2025 Terra Madre Americas international food and wine event, a free weekend celebration featuring food and drink tastings, live music, celebrity chef demonstrations, educational panels, artisan vendors and more. Stop by the Regenerative Meat Pavilion to connect with Roots of Change at a first-of-its-kind gathering of ranchers, producers, policy leaders and food system innovators. Learn More →

More from PHI

• Podcast: Updates on How Recent Policy Changes Affect Rural Health: On the latest episode of Flipping the Table, a podcast from PHI's Roots of Change, host Michael Dimock speaks with Congressmember Chellie Pingree, veteran member of the House AG committee, who shares her honest thoughts on how we can maintain the course toward a healthy, resilient and just food and farming system. “This isn't just a small town issue. For rural states like mine, this is a big thing. The food, the SNAP benefits that we're talking about hits and impacts rural communities. If you can't afford to eat… then you have to drive that much further to a grocery store,” said Chellie. Listen to the podcast →
• Updated Resource: Asthma Home-Visiting Directory (California): In 2022, PHI’s Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP) program launched the California Asthma Home Visiting Program Directory to showcase the strength and breadth of California’s asthma home visiting network and to connect Medi-Cal managed care organizations and other stakeholders with local programs. Recently updated, the 2025 edition features more than 30 programs across 39 counties, including details on services offered, eligibility criteria, service areas and contact information. Two versions of the directory are available: by county and by organization. See the updated directory →
• Public Health Experts Sound Alarm on Cannabis Health Harms: In the Sacramento Bee, public health experts, including Dr. Lynn Silver, director of PHI’s Getting it Right from the Start, share their concerns the significant health harms of cannabis, including marketing tactics that target youth such as cannabis packaging mimicking candy. “Cannabis is not strawberries... [it] has significant health harms and generates dependency. It’s the most frequent cause of people needing substance abuse support,” said Dr. Silver. Read the full story →
• Meet the Rise Up Leader Fighting To End Forced & Early Marriages in CA: Meet Sadia Khan, a leader from PHI’s Rise Up, who is advocating to end forced and early marriage in California. With Rise Up's training and funding, Sadia and her organization developed three survivor-informed bills to protect those at risk and give survivors the support they need to safely leave harmful situations. In early 2025, two of these bills were formally introduced to the California state legislature—a major milestone toward lasting legal change. Read the impact story →

We're Hiring

PHI is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. Join us:

• Director of Development: Oakland, CA (Hybrid). The Director of Development will collaborate with colleagues throughout the Public Health Institute to co-create the conditions for new business, relationship growth and fund development for the organization and more than sixty fiscally sponsored programs. The position will identify new opportunities to strengthen and diversify program revenue by expanding philanthropic, corporate, state and federal opportunities and contribute to new business and funding models.
• Executive Assistant: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid). The Executive Assistant for PHI's Rise Up provides critical administrative, logistical and strategic support to the Executive Director and serves as a key liaison to the Rise Up Board of Directors. 
• Manager, Annual Fund and Direct Marketing: Remote, USA. The Annual Fund and Direct Marketing Manager with PHI's Rise Up serves as a core team member responsible for growing our individual donor program. This role plays a critical part in securing philanthropic support from individuals, with a focus on cultivating relationships, delivering excellent donor stewardship and developing strategies to increase annual and mid-level giving through email, mail, engagement opportunities and events.

See all current opportunities →

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