Partners & Collaborators? –
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Join RAHI’s Advisory and Research Committee:
Your Insight Can Transform Lives
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a growing issue in Canada, with increasing rates of morbidity and mortality, especially among racialized immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and refugee (IRER) populations. South Asians (SA) are the largest racialized group in BC and live mainly in the Fraser Health region. Evidence suggests this group experiences high rates of problematic substance use, especially alcohol and opioids.
However, research on prevalence, effective interventions, and barriers to care for this population is lacking. Culturally resonant approaches that account for migration, racialization, traditional practices, and diversity within the SA community may improve outcomes, but these have not been well studied.
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RAHI (which means "companion on a path" in Hindi/Panjabi) aims to design and test the
feasibility of a culturally resonant intervention to treat substance use disorder among South
Asian cis-men in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The intervention design and study will
be co-led and co-created with people who have lived and/or living experience (PWLLE).
RAHI applies an anti-racist lens to generate evidence on culturally safe and resonant practices for substance use treatment among a diverse and growing IRER population in Canada. If effective, the intervention that is designed could serve as a template for other populations. In addition, it will be a necessary addition to options for treatment during a national opioid intoxication epidemic and increasing morbidity from alcohol use.
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WE are looking for partners and collaborators to support us with the following:
• Information on masculinity, mental health, substance use, treatment
• Training materials for our team
• Funding to support future phases of research, including testing the intervention in randomized control trials
• Resources for PWLLE, researchers, and stakeholders
• Other partnerships and community linkages that could help with recruitment and engagement with the community
• Best practices in JEDII research and anti-racism