WHY SCS is a project of the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM). The WHY SCS team works with substance use researchers, people with lived and/or living experience of substance use, and healthcare providers to provide accurate information about supervised consumption services (SCS) in Canada.
Ongoing Research
As a result of the national overdose emergency, Canada has seen rapid scale-up of supervised consumption services (SCS) in the past four years, and the country is now home to 36 federally sanctioned services, with additional sites pending approval. Little research has examined the features or context of emerging SCS models. Additionally, despite concerns about overdose and other drug-related harm across Canada, implementation of SCS to date has been limited to just 5/13 provincial/territorial jurisdictions. The present implementation science project was designed to support further implementation and evaluation of SCS in Canada.
Our study includes four specific initiatives:
The development of a national evidence-based guidance document with companion plain language resources targeting communities and service providers considering implementing SCS.
The development of in-depth, mixed-method case studies of innovative service models.
The creation and distribution of a national-level survey of SCS operators to characterize variation in SCS implementation across Canada.
The collection of mixed-method data to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SCS use patterns and care provision to people who use drugs.
Outputs of these initiatives will provide prospective SCS operators with access to both technical guidance and knowledge translation products designed to enhance public and policymaker understanding of these services. In addition, this project will produce new knowledge on the state of SCS in Canada.
The Team
Dr. Elaine Hyshka
Canada Research Chair in Health Systems Innovation and Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta;
Scientific Director, Inner City Health and Wellness Program, Royal Alexandra Hospital
Brandi Abele
Lived Experience Expert; Board Member, Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD)
Gillian Harvey
Assistant Professor, Design Studies, Visual Communication Design, University of Alberta
Dr. Lois Jackson
Professor, School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University
Dr. Mary Clare Kennedy
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus
Research Scientist, British Columbia Centre on Substance Use;
Dr. Ryan McNeil
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine;
Director of Harm Reduction Research, Program In Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Carole Morissette
Medical Advisor, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
Dr. Ayden Scheim
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health
Dr. Dan Werb
Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (LKSKI), St. Michael’s Hospital;
Assistant Professor, Division of Global Public Health, University of California
Dr. Cameron Wild
Nominated Principal Investigator, CRISM- Prairie Node;
Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Nicole Gehring
Senior Program Lead, School of Public Health, University of Alberta; Inner City Health and Wellness Program, Royal Alexandra Hospital