What is CODI?
The purpose of the provincial Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Initiative (CODI) is to improve service to individuals who have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

The project is jointly sponsored by the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM), eleven Regional Health Authorities (RHA’s), and Manitoba Health and Healthy Living.

A Distinct Group with Special Needs
Individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders have been identified as a distinct group with special service needs. There is evidence that they represent a significant proportion of clients that appear in both mental health and addiction service settings. The presence of this group in both systems should therefore be treated as an expectation, rather than an exception and should be addressed accordingly. It is widely acknowledged however, that neither the mental health system nor the substance abuse system has been organized to address the special service needs of this group. These individuals often tend to fall through the cracks, resulting in an over-utilization of resources in primary health care, criminal justice, and child protection, as well as women's and homeless shelter systems.

The Model
Manitoba has adopted the Comprehensive, Continuous, Integrated System of Care (CCISC) model of Dr. Kenneth Minkoff. The goal of this model is to develop a System of Care that provides Comprehensive, Continuous and Integrated services for mental health and substance abuse concerns; a system where there is no wrong door. The implementation process for this model was to be guided by the following expectations:
• All funded mental health and addiction service providers are expected to participate
• Changes are to be undertaken within the context of existing operational resources
• Changes are to be based on evidence-based best practices principles
• Changes are to reflect an integrated services philosophy

The History
• Introductory conference for CODI initiative in Winnipeg, May 2002
• Intensive training of trainers and leadership consultation in Winnipeg Region, 2002-3
• Province-wide roll out began in April 2003.
• Training modules were completed and distributed across the province, September 2005
• All RHA’s, the AFM and other funded programs are required to report on a set of performance deliverables included in the Provincial CODI Policy statement.

How Have Services Changed?
The provincial Co-occurring Disorders Initiative is a long-term system change process. However, several changes are already evident in the way we are doing business in most parts of the system.
• Services policies and practices are being revised across participating mental health and addiction service programs
• Across the system, clients are now being screened and assessed for co-occurring disorders and integrated treatment plans are being developed for clients with co-occurring disorders.

For More Information
For more information about Provincial CODI or for specific resources, please contact:
• David Colvin, Co-Chair, Provincial Leadership Team, dcolvin@afm.mb.ca
• Beverly Pageau, Co-Chair, Provincial Leadership Team, Beverly.Pageau@gov.mb.ca

Lasted updated: June 2008