Building Recovery Integration for Drug Users into Emergency Medicine (BRIDGE)

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Tampa General Hospital’s Building Recovery Integration for Drug Users into Emergency Medicine (BRDIGE) program offers a range of services, including a mobile suboxone clinic, an office-based opioid therapy clinic, mental health and substance use counseling, and essential wrap-around services to improve post-discharge outcomes, decrease re-admissions and shorten the length of hospital stays all while providing world-class care to adults struggling with opioid use. The program, which opened Florida’s second legal syringe exchange that treats over 2,000 patients, is making a significant impact in the community.

The BRIDGE program collaborates with the Hillsborough Housing Authority to assist patients with housing instability, collaborates with local food banks to expand their ability to address food insecurity through mobile pantry days, and recently engaged a volunteer attorney to provide free consultations to patients facing legal challenges that can hinder their full engagement in their recovery program.