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

• CRISM is developing a series of six national guidance documents around substance use and COVID-19. Two of the six have been completed – you can 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
• We have added a new page to our website: Publications by CRISM Prairie Node members
• 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!
• CRISM releases guidelines on Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment
  • CMAJ Synopsis
  • National Operational Guideline
  • National Clinical Guideline
• 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 about the program here!
  • Information from the first two projects has been released.
    • Amphetamine Use in Alberta 2012-2018
      • Infographic
    • Cannabis Use and Concern in Alberta pre-legalization
      • Infographic
• 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
• Our colleagues in the CRISM Ontario Node have just published:
  • Acute and Residual Effects of Smoked Cannabis: Impact on driving
  • The Crisis in Clinical Training for Addiction
  • Alcohol Use Disorders
  • Alcohol and the Global Burden of Disease

Clinical Studies

• The OPTIMA trial has finished recruiting participants in the Calgary area. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this study a success!

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.
• Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has released her latest report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2019, Addressing Stigma: Towards a More Inclusive Health System
• New Infographic – Updates from the Alberta Virtual Opioid Dependency Program
• The Mental Health Commission of Canada released a report on Cannabis and Mental Health
  • Priorities for Research in Canada
• CRISM releases guidelines on Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment
  • • CMAJ Synopsis
    • National Operational Guideline
    • National Clinical Guideline

• 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
• CSUCH-Canadian-Substance-Use-Costs-Harms-Provincial-Territorial-Report-2018-en
• AHS Announces Practice Standards for Addiction Counselors
•  AHS Learning Events:
  • Cognition April 2020
• Alberta-ODT-Virtual-Training-Program-Brochure
• 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

Clinical Studies

• Study Title: Adapting the HEADSTRONG Program for Families
  Principal Investigator: Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos, MSW, PhD, RSW, RMFT
  We are looking for participants in a study about removing the stigma around mental health and mental disorders. We are seeking input from families (with youth under the age of 24), youth under the age of 24, and key stakeholders. We hope to create an anti-stigma program for families and would like to understand how families talk about mental health.
• For more information contact: ekgrewal@ucalgary.ca