CA Bridge Connect Intern

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 "Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For" by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

SUMMARY:

Bridge is a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI) that works across the health care system to expand access to low-barrier addiction treatment and sexual and reproductive health care, and to advance health equity. Our largest program, CA Bridge, has supported more than 290 hospitals since 2018 to implement medications for addiction treatment (MAT) in the emergency department (ED) based on the CA Bridge model for 24/7 low-barrier access to evidence-based addiction treatment.

Our new initiative, CA Bridge Connect, extends this work beyond the ED through a helpline that connects people living with substance use disorders, and their families and care providers, to trained navigators who link callers to local providers offering immediate MAT, overdose prevention, and other resources.

The CA Bridge Connect Intern will support outreach, communications, and engagement efforts to sustain and expand the program's presence across multiple counties in California. This includes assisting with the dissemination of materials, supporting relationship growth with local partners and volunteers, and helping to build systems for ongoing engagement.

Learning Opportunities and Goals of the Internship

• Gain experience engaging with community partners and supporting relationship development, management, and tracking
• Develop skills in community engagement, including active listening, understanding stakeholder motivations, and communicating thoughtfully about sensitive and stigmatized topics
• Develop skills in coordinating outreach efforts and materials dissemination, responding to requests, and managing communications workflows
• Contribute to the development of a structured volunteer/ambassador engagement approach
• Research and present recommendations for improving local visibility and access to program resources
• Collaborate with internal teams (e.g., communications) to support outreach strategies and implementation

This is a time-limited position expected to start in June 2026. The internship is anticipated to continue for up to one year, with the possibility of extension based on program needs, funding availability, and performance.

This position is primarily remote (more than 50% of the time); however, it may require travel within California to support outreach efforts, partner engagement, and program activities. Travel expectations will vary depending on program needs.

Candidates must be based in California and be able to travel within the state as needed.

This internship can be full- or part-time at 50%-100% FTE (full-time equivalent) with a schedule of 20-40 hours/week. The starting FTE will be determined upon hire.

Full pay range for this position: $20.22 to $27.55 per hour. The typical hiring range for this position is from $20.22 (minimum) to $23.88 (midpoint) per hour. The starting wage is determined using a variety of factors, such as the candidate's knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal equity consideration and budget availability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Attend program and team meetings
• Become familiar with the program's goals, outreach strategy, and key partners
• Support the dissemination of outreach materials across counties and partner networks
• Assist in maintaining communication with local volunteers and partners to sustain engagement
• Manage incoming and outgoing correspondence, including management of the primary CA Bridge Connect email address
• Coordinate printing, assembly, distribution, and inventory tracking of program materials to community partners
• Support the development and organization of a volunteer/ambassador program
• Research and propose potential outreach opportunities (e.g., community organizations, college groups, local events)
• Research, propose, and support strategies to improve local visibility of program resources (e.g., online listings, community platforms) in collaboration with communications staff
• Assist with tracking outreach efforts and maintaining organized records
• Perform other essential duties as assigned

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Support staff with travel arrangements for CA Bridge Connect purposes, e.g., hotel bookings, transportation, reimbursements, and other travel logistics in compliance with PHI and relevant funder policies
  • Research hotels and flights with the most competitive pricing within the funder rate
  • Research and propose locations to disseminate materials in target counties
  • Communicate and finalize travel arrangements with employees
  • Complete credit card authorizations for hotels
  • Support financial tasks such as retaining and organizing relevant receipts of purchases

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in the 4th year of a bachelor's degree program, in the summer after the 4th year, or recently completed a bachelor's degree program.

Other Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience with outreach via email and phone
• Ability to communicate with sensitivity and professionalism on stigmatized topics, including addiction and access to addiction care and treatment
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks or projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, work independently, and follow through on tasks
• Interest in community engagement, public health, and health equity
• Comfortable conducting basic research and synthesizing information into actionable recommendations
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders, including volunteers and community-based organizations
• Interest in exploring strategies to improve program visibility and access to resources (e.g., online platforms, community directories)
• Experience with or willingness to learn tools such as Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive) and Slack
• Familiarity with outreach, communications, or marketing efforts (e.g., event support, social media, campus or community engagement) is a plus
• Experience working with or engaging college groups, community organizations, or volunteer programs is a plus
• Commitment to destigmatizing, evidence-based, medication-forward approach to addiction and treatment

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

To apply for any position, you must create an account on the Public Health Institute's job application site. After creating your account, you may search the open positions and apply for the specific position that interests you. Please note, mailed and emailed applications will not be accepted.

We're so pleased the Public Health Institute is an organization you would like to work with. Do you have questions about this opportunity? If so, email our recruitment team at Recruitment@phi.org.

Additional information about PHI's benefits and compensation offerings can be found here.

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at Recruitment@phi.org.