MANSFIELD — Richland Public Health will receive $125,000 per year for up to 10 years in Drug-Free Communities grants, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced today.
The DFC grants are aimed at involving and engaging local communities to prevent substance use among youth.
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 substance use problems.
“Our goal is to make the City of Mansfield a safe and drug-free place for our youth,” said Dr. Julie Chaya, director of community health & preventions sciences at Richland Public Health. “Prevention is a powerful tool to counteract drug use in our community, and we will use this funding to help youth in the City of Mansfield make healthy choices about substance use.”
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use.
Directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth 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. Coalitions are comprised of community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, healthcare and business professionals, law enforcement, and media. By involving the community in a solution-oriented approach, DFC also helps those youth at risk for substance use recognize that the majority of our Nation’s youth choose not to use drugs.
