Jackson drug coalition receives $625,000 federal grant

The Jackson County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (JCSAPC) has been awarded a five-year, $125,000 per year ($625,000 total), 2010 Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program (federal) Grant. The grant begins October 1, 2010, and is financed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The goals of the coalition through this grant are to: (1) strengthen relationships among coalition partners; (2) reduce substance use among youth in Jackson County; and (3) over time, reduce substance abuse among adults. The coalition will achieve its goals by doing the following accoring to a spokesperson: 1. Performing alcohol and tobacco vendor checks throughout the county to help reduce minor's access to alcohol and tobacco; 2. Offer state-required alcohol server trainings to Jackson County alcohol vendors; 3. Host cultural competency training for JCSAPC and community members; 4. With social marketing, positively change awareness related to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use by youth; 5. Encourage 24/7 school tobacco-free campus policy at county schools; 6. JCSAPC leadership will attend a national substance abuse leadership training to increase community partnerships and capacity around substance abuse prevention; 7. Evaluate the above efforts and incorporate the results into future Coalition planning. "We are extremely pleased to have received this grant," said JCSAPC Coordinator, Kelsey Haynes. "Prevention strategies, policies and programs provide a valuable service in Jackson County that help young people make healthy choices and reduce risky behaviors," she said. Rhonda Rudolph, JCSAPC Chair added, "These dollars will be able to help us expand our substance abuse prevention efforts by providing additional support in our community. This is an exciting opportunity for the Coalition!" JCSAPC was formed in 2004 in partnership with the Mid South Substance Abuse Commission (MSSAC). This local coalition, formed by and supported through a partnership with the United Way of Jackson County, seeks to reduce substance use and abuse to improve the quality of life in Jackson County. Since 2006, United Way of Jackson County has been the fiscal agent for the coalition who has brought in over $570,000 to Jackson County for drug prevention. The DFC grant dollars were awarded to the coalition and the United Way of Jackson County will serve as the grant fiduciary. The coalition's current efforts include: alcohol and tobacco vendor education; community capacity building; social marketing; supporting community prevention programs; updating the county GIS methamphetamine map; collecting and analyzing data to identify community needs; and providing resources to the community related to substance abuse prevention. For more information about the Jackson County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and its activities, contact Kelsey Haynes at (517) 796-5133 or via email at khaynes@uwjackson.org or www.drugfreejackson.org. Published: Mon, Sep 6, 2010

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