Updates

DTFP Projects Have New Web Space!

October 30, 2013

We’re pleased to announce a new dedicated web space for the Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) projects. For the most up-to-date information about the DTFP, please visit this new web space, which is now live here!

Evidence Exchange Network (EENet) developed this web space in partnership with Health Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and in response to requests for a central resource where DTFP project tools and reports can easily be accessed.

Click here to read the latest news about the DTFP projects.

Summer Update for Suite of Ontario DTFP Projects

August 6, 2013

Four Summer updates have been developed for the suite of Ontario DTFP projects led by Dr. Brian Rush. Below you will find links to these updates, which provide an overview of the results to date and next steps. The extended funding for the 2013‐2014 fiscal year will allow this important work to continue.

Screening and Assessment Project
This project is working to develop and implement a revised protocol to assess clients entering addictions treatment in Ontario. The project team will continue to pilot group intake processes and evaluate technology options, examine relationships to mental health measures, and finalize revisions to the GAIN‐Q3 MI, including a French translation. For more information, click here for the version in English and here for the version in French.

Recovery Monitoring Project
This project aims to develop and implement a system to monitor the outcomes of clients who participate in addictions treatment services in Ontario. The team will develop a manual on the recovery monitoring process, review additional measures to monitor each client’s progress while receiving treatment (e.g., mental health oriented), and consult with a range of providers to improve the follow‐up process. For more information, click here for the version in English and here for the version in French.

Costing Project (also known as the Assessment/Benchmark Addictions Treatment Costs Project)
This project assesses and compares the cost of addictions treatment services in Ontario. This year the project team will aim to establish a coordination mechanism, develop a training manual for the Ontario Healthcare Reporting Standards (OHRS) reporting, and further evaluate options for cost comparisons. For more information, click here for the version in English and here for the version in French.

Client Perceptions of Care Project (also known as the Client Satisfaction Project)
This project developed a tool to assess client satisfaction with mental health and addiction treatment services in Ontario. This fiscal year the team will revise the language so that the tool is youth‐friendly, develop an implementation plan, and roll it out to participating agencies. For more information, click here for the version in English and here for the version in French.

YSSR final report is out!

July 23, 2013

The Youth Services System Review (YSSR) final report is now available.

The YSSR is a review of the services currently available to address the substance use needs of youth age 12 to 24 in Ontario. The YSSR project was funded under Health Canada’s Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP).

The project aims to describe the landscape of service available to youth. It also aims to identify gaps and opportunities for collaboration, to enhance services and build a system to better meet the needs of youth.

Given the current interest by government and other system stakeholders in responding to unmet youth needs, the information gathered from multiple perspectives, and the resulting recommendations, have the potential to inform long-term system change to better meet the needs of youth.

This project and production of this report were funded by Health Canada and a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

To read the YSSR final report click here. To read the report’s appendices click here. Please also visit yssr.org for more about the project and short summaries of the results in English and French.

Rushing out the door: An interview with Dr. Brian Rush

Posted July 8, 2013

By Angela Yip

Interviewing Dr. Brian Rush, Group Head of the Health Systems and Health Equity Research (HSHER) Group at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), doesn’t take place in a regular office setting. But then Brian isn’t a regular guy. For decades, he’s been working to develop more effective and efficient services and systems for people with addiction and mental health problems.

Listing his academic accomplishments would eat up this webpage—but I can tell you that he’s a full Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (JSAT), and one of the top addiction services researchers in the world. Recently, he’s been a leader in research and development for the national and provincial Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) and a collaborating architect of Systems Improvement through Service Collaboratives (SISC). Last year, EENet had the pleasure of providing knowledge exchange support to Brian’s four Ontario DTFP Systems Projects, which were part of a larger suite.

So when Brian recently decided to retire after decades of work, I couldn’t resist recruiting him and a couple of other HSHER staff for a ‘focus group’ at a local restaurant. After ordering some snacks and beverages, we began our interview, reflecting on Brian’s amazing career, future retirement aspirations, the challenge of making Persian rice, and his recent horsing around (involving an actual horse)…..

Read the rest of Angela’s blog post on EENet.

One Life Enriched: A Project Scientist Says, Thank You

Posted June 17, 2013

By Dr Nooshin Rotondi

For the past two years, I have had the privilege of working on the four Ontario Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) Systems Projects led by Dr. Brian Rush: the Best Practice Screening and Assessment Procedures Project; the Client Outcome Monitoring Project; the Client Satisfaction Project; and the Assessment/Benchmark Addictions Treatment Costs Project.

Wordy titles, I know, but the projects were important and part of a larger effort to strengthen substance abuse treatment systems….

Read the rest of Nooshin’s blog post on EENet.

Working Together for Change

EENet is pleased to share the Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) Ontario Systems Projects video, “Working Together for Change.”

In a series of interviews with DTFP stakeholders, the video tells the story of coming together to lay the groundwork for a substance use treatment system that is more connected and evidence-informed.

The video was a truly collaborative effort, and EENet wishes to thank all participants for their contributions!

Trauma Matters: Guidelines for trauma-informed practices in women’s substance use services

The prevalence of trauma among substance-involved women is high. The impact of trauma is profound and wide-reaching.

Trauma-informed practices take into account an understanding of the prevalence and impact of trauma and integrate that understanding into all components of an organization.

The guiding principles of trauma-informed practices are:

• Acknowledgement
• Safety
• Trustworthiness
• Choice and control
• Relational and collaborative approaches
• Strengths-based empowerment modalities

Trauma Matters provides guidelines that help service providers to understand the interconnections of trauma and substance use, and to provide improved care for substance-involved women who have experienced trauma. The Ontario DTFP Trauma and Substance Use project team has developed the guidelines to support organizations that provide substance use treatment services for women.

The Guidelines will be posted on line starting March 2013 at: www.jeantweed.com and at ontariodtfp.ca.

The Ontario DTFP Trauma and Substance Use project team is funded by Health Canada’s Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP). Nancy Bradley is the Project Lead and Executive Director of the Jean Tweed Centre and Janine Gates is the Project Consultant.

The project has been supported by an Advisory Committee of service providers and experts from across Ontario, and by the voices of women who have lived experience. Production of the Trauma Matters poster has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

New season of EENet webinars

Evidence Exchange Network (EENet) is starting a new season of webinars that aim to bring together mental health and addictions stakeholders from across the province—and the country!

Our first webinar of the year, a continuation of the Health Canada Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) Webinar series, looks at the Screening, Assessment and Recovery Monitoring (SARM) project, one of eleven Ontario DTFP Systems Projects.

Screening and assessment tools help service providers determine the appropriate level and intensity of care for clients who are entering the substance use treatment system. The SARM project is drawing on the best available evidence as well as the feedback of key stakeholders throughout the province to develop and pilot new screening and assessment tools and procedures. The SARM Project is also piloting an evidence-based protocol for recovery monitoring. The monitoring of client outcomes is a crucial part of assessing the performance of the substance use treatment system. The project team hopes to determine if it is feasible to implement a recovery monitoring system for Ontario.

The focus of the webinar is an overview of the project, the process, preliminary results, and next steps.

Date: Friday, January 25, 2013
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
Presenter: Dr. Brian Rush, Project Lead and Group Head of the Health Systems and Health Equity Research Group, CAMH

To register for this webinar, go here or see the flyer for more information. Please also visit Ontario DTFP.

Fall/Winter issue of DTFP Ontario Systems Projects now out

EENet is pleased to present the fall/winter edition of the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter. It contains updates on each project and the initiative as a whole. To view the newsletter, click here.
To subscribe to the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter distribution list, please visit EENet and click “join the network!”

“There’s a lot of really good work that’s taken place…”

So says Dr. Brian Rush (pictured left, with team), the lead on four projects that are part of a larger suite funded by the Drug Treatment Funding Program. Evidence Exchange Network (EENet), working with Dr. Rush’s project teams, has produced an update about this really good work for Fall 2012.

Discover how the Costing Project is taking on costly issues and how the Screening, Assessment, and Recovery Monitoring (SARM) Project is gaining ground in Ontario. Some (preliminary) results for the Client Satisfaction Project are in; the DATIS Project, meanwhile, has been developing a Data Dictionary. The goal of the projects: to improve assessment and performance monitoring in Ontario’s addiction system.

Also, learn about how these projects have been informed by the perspectives of diverse stakeholders, including the Advisory Committee (pictured above) and the Ontario Systems DTFP Persons with Lived Experiences and Families Panel, hosted by EENet. It’s all here. And for the French version, go here.

Take part in next DTFP webinars

Funded by Health Canada’s Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP), the Needs‐based Planning Model project team is working to create a tool to systematically measure the need for services and supports for individuals with substance use problems across Canada. The tool will also help gauge required service capacities, based on local/regional population need and problem severity. This tool will be useful for decision-makers involved in system‐level planning; the team hopes that uptake of the tool will play a fundamental role in advocacy efforts for additional resources in areas where gaps have been identified, as well as in improving the delivery of local services.

On Wednesday, December 19, 1pm to 2pm, please join us for a webinar about the project team’s work to date. Dr. Brian Rush (pictured above) will discuss “The Development of a Needs-Based Planning Model for Substance Use Services and Supports in Canada.” This is the first National DTFP project to present in EENet’s Health Canada DTFP Webinar Series.

Read the flyer for full details. Register here, and learn about what the project is doing to enhance the mental health and addictions system across Canada.

And there’s still time to register for the Ontario DTFP Service Level webinar featuring, Rebound Choices Projects, taking place November 27th, 3pm-4pm.

Planting the seeds: a day of knowledge exchange for DTFP

“As you listen today, stop and think about how much work has been done in a year,” Dr. Brian Rush (pictured left) told a packed conference room recently. “I’ve just been blown away by the level of cooperation across the system.”

He was addressing stakeholders of the Ontario Service and System Projects, funded by the Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP). Researchers, service providers, policymakers, and others had gathered for an all-day knowledge exchange event, kicked off by Sheree Davis, Director of the Community and Population Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Ms. Davis emphasized the importance of focusing on children and youth before giving the floor to a series of engaging presenters. On the agenda: the progress the DTFP projects have made to date.

Developed in 2008 by Health Canada, the DTFP is a federal contribution program designed to support provinces and territories in their efforts to strengthen evidence-informed substance abuse treatment systems; and address critical gaps in substance abuse treatment services, particularly for at-risk youth. Eleven Ontario Systems Projects and seven Service Level Projects have taken root in Ontario.

“We’ve built a lot of collaboration capital,” Dr. Rush told attendees. “DTFP has also put Ontario in a national context.” The lead on four of the Ontario Systems Projects, Rush has been focused on improving assessment and performance monitoring in Ontario’s addiction treatment system. The title of his presentation said it all: “Planting the Seeds for System Change.”

Get the whole story here. Download the agenda and presenter bios.

And check out the slides for each presentation below:

Planting the Seeds for System Change, by Brian Rush
Working Together for System Change, by Cindy Smythe and Ruth Stoddart
Rebound Choices, by Michelle Shelswell & Tammy Vandenheuvel
The S.T.E.P. Program, by Denis Boileau and Paul Welsh
School-based Treatment of Substance Abuse and Related Mental Health Problems, by Paul Welsh and Denis Boileau
Trauma-informed Practices in the Substance Use Service System, by Nancy Bradley and Janine Gates
Linkage and Exchange: EENet, by Heather Bullock
Strengthening Evaluation and Performance Measurement, by Brian Rush
Developing Evaluation Capacity, by Sanjeev Sridharan
Observations on Performance Measurement Systems for Substance Abuse Treatment Services, by Bill Luckey

To learn more about the projects, and to get a quarterly newsletter, click here.

Costing Project taking on costly issues

Assessing and comparing the costs of addictions treatment services is a key part of measuring the performance of individual treatment services. Led by Dr. Brian Rush, with extensive support by Dr. Garth Martin (pictured left), a consultant on the project and the DTFP project team, the Assessment/Benchmark Addictions Treatment Costs Project – or Costing Project – is working to develop a protocol for producing reliable and valid cost-based performance measures for addictions treatment services in Ontario.

On November 8, 2012, EENet hosted a webinar featuring the Costing Project. Dr. Garth Martin presented on the project’s work to date.

This webinar is the eleventh in the Pan-Canadian: Health Canada DTFP Webinar Series, which connects stakeholders across provinces and territories as we work towards the shared goal of improving our substance use treatment systems.

Watch it here.

September issue of EENet Update now out!

Did you know that 1 in 4 hospitalized for depression are readmitted within 30 days? That EENet recently launched its 14 Communities of Interest (pictured left)? That the network is partnering with the Ontario Education Research Exchange to make findings about youth mental health and addictions more available?

EENet is pleased to present its Update for September 2012. In it, you’ll discover a SPARK of insight from the Rock, news about our partners’ activities, and much, much more. Read it here and let us know what you think below!

Watch webinar about YSSR!
On September 25, 2012, EENet hosted a webinar featuring the Youth Services System Review (YSSR). Gloria Chaim, Deputy Clinical Director of the Child, Youth and Family Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and E. B. Brownlie, Project Scientist in CAMH’s Child Youth and Family Program presented on YSSR. They also took comments and questions. Watch it here! And check out the slides!

And while you’re at it, visit yssr.org today and tell them what you think about youth substance use services…

And save the date for EENet’s next webinar on the Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) Ontario Systems Projects, which will look at two projects: the Peer Support Services: Best Practices Project, and the Residential Support Services Evaluation Project. The webinar – part of a series that’s connecting stakeholders working to improve our substance use treatment systems – will take place on October 30, 10am-11am ED. Stay tuned to EENet’s news page for more details!

New environmental scan available!

In order to learn about screening and assessment tools and processes being used throughout Ontario, Dr. Brian Rush’s project team conducted an environmental scan. An online survey was sent to 190 addiction treatment agencies across the province.  This list of agencies was provided by ConnexOntario. To read the scan, click here.

New issue of DTFP Ontario Systems Projects newsletter now out!

EENet is pleased to present the summer edition of the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter.  It contains updates on each project and the initiative as a whole.  To view the newsletter, click here.

To subscribe to the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter distribution list, please visit www.eenet.ca and click “join the network!”

Evaluation moving rapidly

Led by Sanjeev Sridharan (pictured right), the evaluation of the Ontario DTFP Systems Projects is moving rapidly through case study work, with interviews completed for all four case study projects. The four case studies chosen for the evaluation are: the DATIS Review of Treatment Data Elements and Provincial Services Categories project, the Residential Support Services Evaluation project, Evidence Exchange Network, and the Screening, Assessment, and Outcome Monitoring project. Plans are in place for the Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions to host a capacity-building workshop for DTFP-ON projects in the fall. Also, stay tuned for the multi-media evaluation learning report, coming soon.

Health Canada Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) Webinar Series, featuring EENet

On August 15, 2012, Evidence Exchange Network (EENet) hosted a one-hour knowledge exchange webinar to explore the network itself. Heather Bullock, Director of EENet, offered an overview of the network, and Jason Guriel, Communications Associate for EENet, led participants through an introduction to http://www.eenet.ca.

This webinar is the eighth in the Pan-Canadian: Health Canada DTFP Webinar Series, which connects stakeholders across provinces and territories as we work towards the shared goal of improving our substance abuse treatment systems.

Watch it here.

Tell them what you think

The Youth Services System Review (YSSR) recently launched its engaging new website, where it hosts its surveys: YSSR’s primary means of collecting information! Funded by the Drug Treatment Funding Program, YSSR is a review of services addressing substance use for youth (ages 12-24) across Ontario. Its interactive site invites anyone who has something to say about youth substance use – especially youth – to speak their minds on what’s working, where the gaps are, and how the system could be improved. Check it out, spread the word, and tell them what you think!

Watch webinar about the Addiction Treatment Data Elements and Provincial Service Categories Project

Check out EENet’s latest webinar on Health Canada’s Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP). On Tuesday, July 17, Claudio Rocca, DATIS Director led an engaging discussion on Ontario DTFP’s Addiction Treatment Data Elements and Provincial Service Categories Project. Watch it here and check out the slides. Please let us know what you think.

EENet launches new website!

Evidence Exchange Network (EENet) is pleased to announce the official launch of its new website, eenet.ca. The site offers network stakeholders a great new space to interact with one another and exchange knowledge. It also features a number of resources aimed at making Ontario’s mental health and addiction system more evidence-informed, including two easy-to-use and intuitive databases. The launch of eenet.ca marks an exciting new phase for the network.

Please take a minute or two to visit the site, and feel free to leave a comment; we would love to hear from you! A webinar about the network and its new site will take place on Wednesday, August 15, 2012, 1pm-2pm EDT. For more info, click here.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We hope you enjoy and make use of eenet.ca!

New EENet Update for June now available!

Read the the June 2012 EENet update here. The new issue includes information about the recent activities of EENet and its partners including a Student Spotlight on Tara Marie Watson and new Research Snapshots focused on youth.

To subscribe to the EENet Update distribution list and receive our monthly update, please email jason_guriel@camh.net. The update goes out to subscribers the last week of every month.

Click on the following links to read some of our previous newsletters: May, April, and March.

Take part in webinar about Health Canada’s Drug Treatment Funding Program

Evidence Exchange Network (EENet) invites you to take part in a free one-hour virtual knowledge exchange webinar to explore Health Canada’s Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP). Join Claudio Rocca, DATIS Director, on Tuesday, July 17 1pm-2pm EDT to learn about Ontario DTFP’s Addiction Treatment Data Elements and Provincial Service Categories Project. Register here.

Watch webinar about Client Satisfaction Project, featuring Dr. Brian Rush

Watch Dr. Brian Rush – Group Head of the Health Systems and Health Equity Research Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – as he discusses Ontario DTFP’s Client Satisfaction Project! The webinar took place on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 EDT, and can be viewed here. Check out the slides here and please let us know what you think.

This webinar is the sixth in a series that is connecting stakeholders as we work towards the shared goal of improving our substance abuse treatment systems.

Second issue of DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter now out!

EENet is pleased to present the second issue of the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter.  It contains updates on each project and the initiative as a whole.  To view the newsletter, click here.

To subscribe to the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter distribution list, please email jason_guriel@camh.net.

Watch webinars about the Health Canada Drug Treatment Funding Program

EENet invites you to watch the latest installment in its webinar series about the Health Canada Drug Treatment Funding Program. On Thursday, May 24, Colleen Dell gave an engaging talk on Saskatchewan’s approach to enhancing the province’s substance abuse treatment system. Watch it here, and check out the slides. After you’ve seen the webinar, please fill out the survey!

This webinar is the fifth in a series that is connecting stakeholders across provinces and territories as we work towards the shared goal of improving our substance abuse treatment systems.

Click below to see earlier videos about the approach taken by other provinces:

BC DTFP (Jane Collins, Amanda Seymour, and Glen Grigg, April 19); Click here for the slides.

PEI DTFP (Shauna Reddin, January 19); Click here for the slides.

Alberta DTFP (Lindsey Howard, February 23); Click here for the slides.

Nova Scotia DTFP (Wanda McDonald, March 30); Click here for the slides.

Improving Assessment and Performance Monitoring in Ontario’s Addiction System

Click below to read an overview of 5 projects funded by the Drug Treatment Funding Program and how they will impact participating agencies:

 Improving Assessment and Performance Monitoring in Ontario’s Addiction System (Click here for French version)

Participating Agency Locations Insert

First issue of Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter now available!

The first issue of the Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter was disseminated in December, 2011 to over 700 stakeholders across Ontario.  It contains updates on each project and the initiative as a whole.  To view the newsletter, click here.

To subscribe to the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects quarterly newsletter distribution list, please email jason_guriel@camh.net.

Dr. Brian Rush and Heather Bullock, CAMH, present at the Addictions Ontario Community of Practice Meeting

On December 8, 2011, Dr. Brian Rush and Heather Bullock, presented to the Addictions Ontario Community of Practice.  They provided an overview of the DTFP in Ontario, project updates, and a snapshot of Evidence Exchange Network‘s communications and knowledge exchange activities supporting the Ontario Systems Projects.  Their presentation is available here:

 “DTFP Ontario Systems Projects:  Connecting the Dots“, by Brian Rush and Heather Bullock

DTFP Ontario Systems Projects launch event attended by over 100 stakeholders 

On October 13^th and 14^th, the launch of the DTFP Ontario Systems Projects took place in Toronto.  The event was attended by over 100 stakeholders (including project teams and advisory groups, policymakers, planners, practitioners and people with lived experience) who participated in workshops designed to build capacity and identify knowledge exchange needs for the initiatives.

Presentations from the launch are available here:

“Developing and Implementing an Evaluation Framework for DTFP“, by Sanjeev Sridharan

“Drug Treatment Funding Program: Ontario Systems Projects“, by Project Leads