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

Meetings/Events

• The CRISM | Prairies annual meeting will be postponed until next year while we undergo our renewal process.
• 3rd Annual Prairie Node Gathering

News/Information

• DID YOU HEAR? The first article from Colleen Dell’s research project on service dogs and veterans has been published! Check out the article titled An Exploratory Care Study of the Impact of Psychiatric Service Dogs on Problematic Substance Use among PTSD-diagnosed Veterans.
• New Training Opportunity: The BCCSU Addiction Medicine Fellowship program is now accepting applications. Access the site here.
• NOW OPEN – CRISM/AHS Partnership Program. Find out more here!
  • The report from the first project has been released. Access the infographic about methamphetamines here.
• Patient Characteristics and Naloxone – a paper describing which patients are offered naloxone in the emergency department has just been released. Congratulations to the team behind this CRISM | Prairies supported project! You can access the paper here.
• Fentanyl Behind Bars – please join us in congratulating Kevin Haggerty and Sandra Bucerius on the first publication from their CRISM | Prairies supported project: Examining the Opioid Landscape Within Federal Prisons in Alberta
• Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines – NEW RESOURCES AVAILABLE
• 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
• CRISM releases Management of opioid use disorders: A national clinical practice guideline
  • New Webinar – Dr. Ron Lim discusses the guidelines
  • CMAJ Synopsis 
  • CRISM_NationalGuideline_OUD [ENG]
  • CRISM_NationalGuideline_OUD [FRENCH]

Clinical Studies

• The OPTIMA trial is currently recruiting participants in the Calgary area
  • OPTIMA Project Information
  • How to get involved

Elsewhere

Alberta

Manitoba

Saskatchewan

Other Agencies

Current CRISM Prairies e-Newsletter

• 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
• Recovery Capital Conferences: Calgary Sept 11; Winnipeg Sept 13; Regina Sept 20
  • for more information and schedule click here
• Alberta Addiction and Mental Health Research Hub 
  • for more information click here
• CSUCH-Canadian-Substance-Use-Costs-Harms-Provincial-Territorial-Report-2018-en
• AHS Announces Practice Standards for Addiction Counselors
• AHS Learning Events – Cognition June 2019
• Alberta-ODT-Virtual-Training-Program-Brochure
• AHS Learning Opportunity – ODT Virtual Health Learning Session Poster 2018-2019
• 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