A new study published in Addiction examined outcomes after the closure of the Red Deer Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) in Alberta.
People who use OPS often live with severe addiction and significant social and economic vulnerability. For them — and their families — it matters that services truly help.
🔎 Clearer understanding between mental health and mental illness helps direct limited resources to where they are needed most.
Learn more: https://t.co/kwQxrryAgU
Because better data ➡️ better care. #MentalHealth#EvidenceMatters
🧠 Mental health and mental illness are not the same thing. In our June Mental Health and Addiction Brief, we explore why clarity matters.
Mental health changes based on life events while mental illness refers to diagnosable medical conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder.
CoRE is a proud member of the Health Data Research Network Canada—an organization that is helping advance policies, partnerships and infrastructure that support high-impact, multi-regional research to improve health systems and care for all.
Because better data ➡️better care
Learn more: https://t.co/5yLgpqFtPO
🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Nathaniel Day on being named the 2026 recipient of the Effectuating Change in Opioid Use Disorder Care award by @wcaforum .
His work doesn’t just advance systems—it changes lives.
CoRE was proud to deliver two presentations at the Alberta Criminal Justice Symposium on May 13.
🎤 Dr. Shelly Vik, Executive Director of Evaluation & Research, shared emerging methods for earlier detection of street drugs.
🎤 Alessia DiMarzo from CoRE’s survey team presented on Opioid Agonist Therapy in correctional settings.
Because better data ➡️better care #EvidenceMatters #Alberta #HealthResearch #CriminalJustice #Opioids #Corrections #PublicHealth
What sets it apart:
🧑🤝🧑 Peer support 🛌 Strong routines & relationships 🏢 Skills, purpose, and daily structure
When systems are designed to support recovery, everyone wins.
Better data ➡️better care.
🏘️ Recovery takes a community.
Recovery Communities support people through addiction with peer connection, care, and wraparound supports—from mental health to employment and housing.
🌍 CoRE’s CEO, Kym Kaufmann, is shaping addiction conversations on the global stage.
She was invited to speak virtually at #CICAD in Chile—one of the most influential forums on substance use, addiction, and recovery with representation from 35 countries.
Her invitation reflects growing recognition of CoRE’s work advancing recovery-oriented systems of care.
Because better data ➡️better care.
May's Mental Health and Addiction Brief looks at how Alberta’s Drug Treatment Courts (DTC) offer a different path to treatment, accountability and recovery.
The results:
🧑🎓 ~80% graduate
🧑 ~70% don’t reoffend
Because better data ➡️ better care.
Learn more: https://t.co/Ax1B7NEk3Q
🚫 No waitlist. Flexible access. Real outcomes.
🧠 Counselling Alberta delivers province-wide counselling with sliding-scale fees, virtual/in-person care, and services guided by real-time client feedback.
https://t.co/cEQdJUZvDL
Counselling Alberta is part of the Alberta Recovery Model , Alberta’s framework for implementing a Recovery Oriented System of Care. https://t.co/qm8hC3OWzr
CASA Mental Health provides several programs, including:
🏠 Live-in treatment
☀️ Day programs
🎓 School-based care
All designed to provide the right support at the right time—and give young people the chance to thrive. https://t.co/oubs8H87Bk
CASA Mental Health is part of the Alberta Recovery Model, Alberta’s framework for implementing a Recovery Oriented System of Care. https://t.co/qm8hC3OWzr
If you need help, your healthcare provider can quickly connect you to the right care through RAAPID.
🧑⚕️ RAAPID connects Alberta healthcare providers to real-time clinical advice, specialist referrals, and coordinated patient transfers—helping ensure timely, appropriate care when it matters most.
https://t.co/qm8hC3OoJT
Today is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. 🧑🏭 👷♀️
Safe workplaces aren’t just a legal requirement in Canada 🍁 — they can also support recovery.
CoRE and the University of Alberta’s Dr. Charl Els created the Recovery Friendly Workplace Series to help employers support workers navigating mental health and substance-related challenges.
Learn more:
https://t.co/8aQAqn5Maa
Happy #EarthDay 🌎
Nature doesn’t just support ecosystems — it supports our mental health.
Even small amounts of time outdoors can improve mood and overall well-being. 🌿
Learn more about the benefits:
➡️ Nurtured by nature: https://t.co/hO8KnN8hvi
➡️ Nature can have a nurturing effect on your mental health: https://t.co/WJVaQG4GQS?
This is not a failure—it’s a signal that we need to look deeper, ask harder questions, and continue evaluating what truly works in real-world settings.
Because better data ➡️ better care.
Learn more: https://t.co/drZt3xpiMa
💵 A $350M USD study across 67 communities tested some of the most commonly supportedoverdose prevention strategies, including:
• Naloxone distribution
• Safer opioid prescribing
• Overdose education
• Stigma-reduction initiatives
• Increased access to opioid agonist treatment (OAT), primarily methadone
👇 CoRE's April Mental Health and Addiction Brief focuses on lessons from a large overdose prevention study and the implications for jurisdictions responding to an evolving overdose crisis.