CRISM is the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse.

Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), CRISM is a national network of researchers, service providers, policy makers and people with lived experience.  CRISM ’s overall objective is to translate evidence-based interventions for substance misuse into clinical practice, community-based prevention, harm reduction, and health system changes.  Our intent is to support the creation of more effective, personal, and adoptable intervention programs and services. The National CRISM website may be found at: www.crism.ca

Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have excellent researchers investigating substance use/addiction interventions (including prevention, harm reduction and specialty-based addiction treatment) delivered in the clinic, the community, and in academic research settings.  Each Province funds treatment and prevention of substance use/addiction and has developed strategic plans through their respective Ministries of Health and Regional Health Authorities.  But to date, these assets have operated either in isolation, or as part of small provincial teams.

Interested researchers, service providers, and decision-makers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the North West Territories are invited to become members of the CRISM Prairie Node. Members will have access to CRISM resources and support, and we anticipate that Members will become more or less active in the Node depending on opportunities and interests. If you would like to become affiliated with the CRISM Prairie Node, please access the online survey link below. It takes no more than 10 minutes to complete the questions.  The survey asks about you and your interests, and by completing it, you will help us tailor regional Node activities to your interests. The information we collect will be used for planning purposes, will stored securely in a password-protected network, and will be used to develop a Node member database.

Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Supported by

With CRISM

Events/News/Meetings

• The Research Development Grant program is currently closed while we restructure it for CRISM 2.0.
• The first publication from our first national CRISM clinical trial – OPTIMA – has been published! Click here for a detailed description of the study. See below for the link.
• It is our great pleasure to share the very good news that CRISM Prairies and the national CRISM network are renewed for an additional six-years!
  The Prairie Node team would like to thank each member of the network for providing ideas, feedback, and support during the renewal application process. We look forward to collaborating with new partners and enhancing existing relationships during this next phase. There are now five nodes in the network including: British Columbia (NPI Evan Wood), Prairies (NPI David Hodgins), Ontario (NPI Jürgen Rejm), Quebec (NPI Julie Bruneau), and Atlantic (NPI Sherry Stewart).
  As a reminder, a summary of the project ideas that we submitted to build upon our earlier work together can be retrieved here. Details of the CIHR funding opportunity for the CRISM network renewal are located here.
  Congratulations to the CRISM Prairies network! We look forward to this important work ahead!
• NOW LIVE – CRISM has released a new website on Supervised Consumption Services in Canada. Find out more here!
• NOW OPEN – CRISM/AHS Partnership Program. Find out more about the program and access the 2020 report here!
• NEW PUBLICATIONS 
  • OPTIMA Publication:  Flexible Buprenorphine/Naloxone Model of Care for Reducing Opioid Use in Individuals With Prescription-Type Opioid Use Disorder: An Open-Label, Pragmatic, Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Changes in Work Status, Couple Adjustment, and Recovery Capital: Secondary Analysis of Data From a Congruence Couple Therapy Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Employment Stress and Couple Adjustment among Clients With Disorders of Gambling and Alcohol Use: Themes of Transfers in Congruence Couple Therapy 
  • Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Canadian Psychosocial Addiction Programs: A National Survey of Policy, Attitudes, and Practice.
  • Impact of health system engagement on the health and well-being of people who use drugs: a realist review protocol. 
  • Drug checking services for people who use drugs: a systematic review
  • “I’m not your reality show:” Perspectives of bereaved mothers’ engagement with the news media to advance drug policy reform.
  • “It’s a Bit of a Double-Edged Sword”: Motivation and Personal Impact of Bereaved Mothers’ Advocacy for Drug Policy Reform
  • Forty-eight years of research on psychosocial interventions in the treatment of opioid use disorder: A scoping review.
    • A database of the results is available here.
• NEW REPORT – TRACE V: A qualitative research program about teen cannabis experience. Access the report here!
• NEW REPORT – Mother’s Stories of advocacy following their child’s substance passing (2017-2019). Access the report here!
• Many upcoming conferences have moved to a Virtual Platform…view upcoming conferences here
• NOW OPEN – we are delighted to announce that the CRISM Prairies Development Grant Program has reopened. Access it here!
• CRISM has developed a series of six national guidance documents around substance use and COVID-19. Access the documents here!
• CRISM Prairies has added a page on substance use guidelines to our website. We are delighted to host the NEW Management of Substance Use in Acute Care Settings in Alberta: Guidance Document
• CRISM member Dr. Ginette Poulin discusses cannabis edibles in this Global News Segment
• CRISM releases a report and infographic on experiences of PWLE working on the front line. Access them here!
• New Training Opportunity: The BCCSU Addiction Medicine Fellowship program is now accepting applications. Access the site here!
• Looking for information on Cannabis or Opioids? Check out our new pages and fact sheets
• The Addiction Foundation of Manitoba has released a new website about cannabis: Weeding out the Facts.ca
• Prairie Node has developed interactive dashboards for you to learn more about our membership

Publications

• Please refer to our new page: Publications by CRISM Prairie Node members
• NEW – Updated Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines 

Research Studies

• The CRISM OPTIMA trial has finished recruiting participants in the Calgary area. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this study a success!
  • The first publication can be accessed here.

Conferences/Meetings

• Click on the link to be taken to our Conferences/Meetings page

Elsewhere

Alberta

Manitoba

Saskatchewan

Other Agencies

Current CRISM Prairies e-Newsletter

• RxFiles is a Canadian drug information resource that produces evidence-based booklets on a wide range of health issues, including substance use. Access RxFiles materials here.
• Alberta-ODT-Virtual-Training-Program-Brochure
• New Infographic – Updates from the Alberta Virtual Opioid Dependency Program
• A report on the impact of Supervised Consumption Services in Alberta has been released by the Alberta Community Council on HIV. Read it here
  • More information about SCS is available on the AMSISE information page
• Alberta Addiction and Mental Health Research Hub. For more information click here
• AHS Announces Practice Standards for Addiction Counselors
• AHS Learning Events:
  • Cognition March 2021
• AHS Learning Opportunity – ODT Virtual Health Learning Session Poster 2019-2020
• CCSA: Summary of Provincial and Territorial Cannabis Regulations

Videos/Podcasts

• Tune in to the latest SayKnow.Org podcast featuring Kris Nyrop from Seattle, USA who is the Director of Harm Reduction Practices and plays a key role in the L.E.A.D project (a hugely successful  “Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion” program)
• NEW – Video Series – #SeeTheLives 
• Crackdown – a new podcast series about the drug war
• Check Out The Powerful Documentary Painkiller

Research Studies

• Now recruiting