WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition for Drug Free Greater Cincinnati today received a “big check” from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Charles Curie to expand community substance abuse prevention programs. The $100,000 grant is part of the national Drug Free Communities grant program that was recently transferred from the Justice Department to SAMHSA in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Cincinnati is one of 227 communities out of 512 applicants who received these grants. The Drug Free Communities Program is designed to promote citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. The Cincinnati award will support the efforts of the coalition to educate parents and coaches about youth substance abuse and survey seventh through 12th grade students to determine current use rates and patterns in the Cincinnati area.
“The Drug-Free Communities Program and other drug prevention efforts are the most cost-effective approach to the drug problem, sparing society the future costs that treatment, rehabilitation, lost productivity, and other social problems related to drugs incur,” said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie. “The Coalition for Drug Free Greater Cincinnati is doing crucial drug prevention work in Cincinnati and this additional infusion of federal money will help them expand their efforts and reach more of the area’s children.” Curie spoke at a press conference in Cincinnati.
The Coalition for Drug Free Greater Cincinnati, which was founded in 1996 by Rep. Rob Portman, (R-Ohio), operates in ten counties in three states and has 25 member neighborhood coalitions. The mission of the coalition is to promote a drug free environment for youth and to mobilize and support the development of locally-based anti-drug coalitions. The Drug Free Communities funds will be used to collect analyze and disseminate student drug use data; coordinate across multiple sectors to create geographically and culturally relevant substance abuse prevention initiatives; and provide technical assistance and capacity-building expertise to initiate, strengthen and support locally based anti-drug coalitions.
More information about the Drug-Free Communities Program is available at: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/ and http://drugfreecommunities.samhsa.gov/
SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health service delivery systems.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
CONTACT: Leah Young of Substance Abuse and Mental Health ServicesAdministration, +1-240-276-2130