Charles Hawthorne

Charles Hawthorne is CA Bridge’s Equity and Harm Reduction Project Manager. They joined CA Bridge with 5 years of harm reduction education and program development experience as a Capacity Building Manager at National Harm Reduction Coalition. Charles joined CA Bridge to advocate for higher quality emergency services for people of color who use drugs. In their role, they support hospitals on the cutting edge of harm reduction-based health care, including safer drug use education and naloxone distribution. They also help lead the organization's internal and external racial equity work as one of the key program pillars. 

The California Bridge Program (CA Bridge) is leading a transformation in addiction treatment by making treatment for opioid use disorder available 24/7 in every California hospital emergency department by 2024. The program is also piloting solutions to address the nation's growing challenges around the use of stimulants. The CA Bridge model emphasizes low-barrier treatment, connection to ongoing care in the community through a substance use navigator, and a culture of harm reduction, free of stigma. CA Bridge works with acute care hospitals to train prescribers, nurses, and navigators and to raise awareness of equity issues in substance use treatment. CA Bridge is a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI), working around the globe to strengthen the work and collaboration across some of the most pressing issues in public health.