Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
SKOWHEGAN — Somerset Public Health, a local community health coalition and department of Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, has received one of 719 nationally awarded Drug-Free Communities Support Program grants.
The five-year grant provides funding for community members and organizations to prevent youth substance use, according to a news release from the organization.
Somerset Public Health will get a share of the $89 million awarded nationally, part of the largest-ever group to get grants in a single year, said Richard Baum, acting director of national drug control policy.
“We’re losing more than 60,000 people per year to drug overdose, but if we can stop young people from starting to use drugs in the first place, we can save lives,” said Baum in the news release. “Our local DFC coalitions are a key part of this effort because they are bringing together parent groups, schools, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, businesses, and others to prevent drug use and improve the health of the community.”
This is the second five-year DFC grant that Somerset Public Health has received. The first, running from 2011-2016, resulted in significant decreases in adolescent substance use rates for both middle and high school aged students, the organization said. Specifically the prevalence of middle school youth binge drinking dropped from 7 percent to 2 percent, marijuana use from 10 percent to 6 percent, and prescription drug use from 8 percent to 4 percent.
High school student use also decreased, with binge alcohol use dropping from 22 percent to 13 percent, marijuana use from 23 percent to 19 percent, and prescription drugs use from 7 percent to 4 percent.
“It’s exciting to think what we can accomplish with another five years of funding” said DFC Project Coordinator Danielle Denis. “With this new round of funding we are looking closely at the impact of adverse childhood cxperiences and resiliency in adolescent substance use.”
Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of environmental strategies to address local drug problems, the release said. Coalitions comprise community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, and media.
For more information, contact Denis at ddenis@rfgh.net or Rob Rogers, project director, at rrogers@kbhmaine.org.
