The Bridge Podcast
Elevating real stories, community voices, and evidence-based ideas to drive better laws and policies.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
A podcast linking communities and leaders to drive real change.
The Bridge is a podcast for communities, public health leaders, grassroots advocates, and policymakers working to create real change and looking to amplify their impact. Each episode pairs lived experience with legal and public health expertise to show how community knowledge connects to the bigger picture and shapes more informed policy. By highlighting the wisdom and leadership of communities shaping their own solutions, The Bridge elevates the voices of those closest to the challenges and gives legal and policy decision-makers the opportunity to learn directly from communities—ensuring solutions are not just evidence-informed, but truly community-driven.
Listen Now
This special podcast release for Mental Health Awareness Month explores the human impact of gaps in support across public health. Grounded in lived experience, the conversation surfaces how grief and the loss of a loved one to overdose are too often met with stigma and fragmented care. The discussion underscores that grief is not only an individual experience but also a broader public health concern, calling for greater attention and alternative forms of care.
Content warning: This discussion includes sensitive topics around grief, loss, and substance use.
Hosts
Dr. April Shaw, J.D., Ph.D
Interim Director, Health Equity
Ashleigh Dennis, J.D.
Staff Attorney, Harm Reduction