From East to West and North : Identifying priorities nation-wide to support NNADAP's community-based and regionally-driven research

At the present time, the NNADAP Renewal Process is being guided by several key documents covering such topics as: Culture and Tradition within Addiction Services; Review of NNADAP's Prevention Services; Improving Mental Health Services and Supports within NNADAP; Historical Timeline of NNADAP; and, Systems Level Review of NNADAP. Of these research papers completed to date, one in particular provides the intelligence demanded by mainstream to rationalize the world view held by First Nations, Inuit and Métis relative to the cultural component associated with a 'better' intervention and treatment of clients. Given a poorly documented research gap, NNAPF, in partnership with the AK-NEAHR Centre, CAMH, CCSA and NAMHR, have agreed to collaborate on several regional research consultations, following a similar process used in the Atlantic region in January 2009. This fourth and final regional meetings invited NNADAP Treatment Centre Directors and other representatives from British Columbia, Alberta, North West and Yukon Territories, as well as federal and provincial addictions and mental wellness program managers, whereby the purpose of the consultation was to identify research priorities that are currently relevant to the Native addictions and mental health field. The objectives were straightforward: to support NNADAP in building their research capacity through partnerships with the research community, and better inform regional research agendas of NNADAP, academia and government, in key areas that are pertinent to regional NNADAP Treatment Centres.