Community, Rural South and Addictions Division

Overview

The division of Community, Rural South and Addiction Psychiatry is based at the Foothills Medical Centre Addiction Centre and throughout the Alberta Health Service's Addiction Program.  It provides training to all levels of students in the recognition, assessment and evidence-based treatment of addictions.  The division seeks to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of psychiatrists and other health disciplines about co-morbid addictions and mental and physical disorders.

• Support career paths that integrate research, teaching and clinical service
• Foster research linkages with other departments, faculties and institutions
• Provide an open and supportive learning environment

Education

The division objectives for trainees in psychiatry and other health disciplines are to:

• Improve the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of psychiatrists and other health professionals about substance-related disorders and other addictions to a level comparable to other mental disorders
• Ensure better evaluation and treatment of alcohol abusers, other substance abusers and individuals with other addictive behaviours, such as gambling
• Foster recognition of the impact of co-morbid substance abuse on the treatment and evolution of other physical and psychiatric conditions
• Prevent marginalization and excessive de-medicalization of clinical services to substance abusers
• Ensure that psychiatrists and other health professionals develop an understanding of the spectrum of health care systems providing services to substance abusers
• Foster advanced training and sub specialization of a greater number of psychiatrists and other health professionals, to develop clinical services, teaching and research in substance abuse
• These goals cover the educational continuum (undergraduate and graduate education) as well as maintenance of competence
• Undergraduate: Division faculty coordinate and provide the substance abuse and alcoholism sections of the Mind Cours
• Division faculty are involved in the core curriculum as well as provision of elective rotations and fellowships to trainees from the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta and international fellows.

Clinical Services

Promote a coordinated and standardized level of care for the treatment of addictions in the Calgary zone.

Integrate and support outpatient clinical mental health services south Calgary and in rural communities south of Calgary.

Provide psychosocial rehabilitation and addiction inpatient services for the province; and transition inpatient services for the Calgary zone.

Integrate clinical services with teaching and research practices.

Research

The primary goals of the research activities of the Addiction Centre are:

• To generate new knowledge on alcohol, other drug abuse and dependence, and gambling addictions and their relationship with psychiatric and physical difficulties
• To promote communication and collaboration among Addiction Centre faculty and other interested researchers

Within these broad goals, the research division seeks more specifically:

• To test the effectiveness of innovative treatment approaches
• To provide consultation and training in program evaluation for the community
• To communicate research findings to the larger professional community
• To provide graduate training