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Greensboro’s Bridge program offers peer-led follow-up after overdoses, staff say
Summary
Brianna Strickland, a peer support specialist with the City of Greensboro’s Community Safety Department, described Bridge as a voluntary, peer-led program that connects people to intensive case management within 24–72 hours after hospital discharge and provides practical help — from IDs to bus passes — while the city seeks to expand staffing.
Brianna Strickland, a peer support specialist with the City of Greensboro’s Community Safety Department, said the city’s Bridge program provides voluntary, peer-led follow-up and intensive case management to people at risk of overdose.
"Bridge is building recovery through intervention, dignity, and guided engagement," Strickland said, describing a model staffed by peers and focused on harm reduction. She told GTN’s Talk City Greensboro that most Bridge referrals come from Cone hospitals and that the team aims to connect with people within 24 to 72 hours of an overdose, a window she said research identifies as critical for engagement.
The program combines one-on-one peer support and practical assistance, Strickland said. "We help with things like getting identification, birth certificates — whatever vital records are missing — and we’ll go to appointments with them," she said, adding that work can include helping clients navigate systems they find intimidating or overwhelming.
Strickland emphasized a nonjudgmental, lived-experience approach. "There's no hierarchy — I trust that together in this we'll both discover something new and that you have an inherent wisdom in you," she said. She contrasted that horizontal peer relationship with clinical models that can feel directive or coercive and said Bridge seeks to reduce shame and stigma so people remain engaged in care.
Despite growing demand, Strickland said capacity is limited. "Our team is only staffed by 2 people," she said, and added the city is hiring peer support specialists; job postings can be found on the City of Greensboro careers pages. She also described the training pathway: in North Carolina, peer-support training comes through the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and includes continuing education and a recertification requirement every two years.
Strickland described several practical services the program provides during outreach: distributing snack bags and water, offering bus passes and directing people to cooling stations during extreme heat, and assisting unhoused individuals with coordinated entry for housing. She said the city is running a Housing First pilot intended to increase housing placements.
On how Bridge approaches setbacks, Strickland stressed that a return to substance use does not erase prior progress. "That doesn't mean all the progress that you've had has gone away," she said. The program, she said, focuses on what a person needs now to feel safe and supported.
To learn more or reach Bridge, Strickland directed listeners to the City of Greensboro’s website and the Community Safety Department page. The episode was produced by GTN; Talk City Greensboro is available on iTunes, Pandora, SoundCloud and the city’s YouTube channel.
Contact information: City of Greensboro, Community Safety Department (search "Community Safety Department" at greensboro-nc.gov).
