MaineHealth Healthy Community Coalition in Farmington has been selected as a recipient of a five-year $625,000 federal grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Drug-Free Communities support program to prevent youth substance use in Regional School Unit 73 schools. Seen Tuesday, Dec. 3, from left are Jayde Couture, Healthy Community Coalition program coordinator; Holly Richards, Healthy Community Coalition project manager; Lorri Brown, Healthy Community Coalition senior program manager; LeeAnna Lavoie, Healthy Community Coalition director; Scott Albert, RSU 73 superintendent; Michael Blanchet, Sun Journal advertising director; Heidi Sage, parent and business owner; Kat Whitney, Healthy Community Coalition program manager; Robyn Raymond, director of Spruce Mountain adult education; and Paula Keller, Spruce Mountain High School social worker. Submitted photo

FARMINGTON — MaineHealth’s Healthy Community Coalition [HCC] in Farmington has been selected to receive a five-year $625,000 federal grant to help prevent youth substance use in Regional School District 73.

The grant comes from the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Drug-Free Communities support program. The program, managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention represents an opportunity to strengthen ongoing efforts in preventing youth substance use in the community.

“We just had our first meeting and we will be looking at how to best spend those funds in the future,” Superintendent Scott Albert wrote in an email to the Livermore Falls Advertiser Friday morning, Dec. 6. “The grant does have money for a [three-quarter] position in it, which I believe the hope is to contract out for a substance abuse counselor.”

Key focuses of the grant include:

• Establishing a community coalition in Regional School Unit 73 to guide the grant’s implementation and build community capacity around substance use prevention.

• Increasing community knowledge and communication about youth substance use and local prevention efforts.

• Reducing youth substance use among middle and high school students in RSU 73 through evidence-based programs and practices.

“We are just getting started in our discussions and have not yet determined the best course of action moving forward,” Paula Keller, the social worker at Spruce Mountain High School said in an email later Friday morning. “The three-quarter FTE [full time equivalent] position would be at the middle and high school levels, and would not provide clinical work, but prevention and some intervention for students around substance use issues.”

The Drug-Free Communities support program is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. It provides federal grants to community coalitions to identify and respond to the issues unique to their community and change community conditions tied to youth substance use. With the grant, HCC will be able to continue building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community.

“Preventing substance use today is critical, so that today’s youth don’t become tomorrow’s overdose victims. We are thrilled to award this grant because we know the outcomes (Drug-Free Communities)-funded coalitions are capable of achieving when implementing evidence-based prevention strategies at the local level.” said Helen Hernandez, administrator of the Drug-Free Communities program.

Through the program, the CDC is empowering community coalitions to implement local solutions to unique, local conditions, with the common goal of preventing youth substance use,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, MPH, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC.

HCC is grateful for the support of and partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and CDC, said LeeAnna Lavoie, Health Community Coalition executive director.

“We are proud to share this mission and effort to prevent youth substance use and protect the well-being of our community,” she said. “Furthermore, this grant will allow us to better collaborate with our partners, including area youth sports, Jay Police Department, Maine CDC, Spruce Mt. Adult Education, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital, and Tri Valley United Way, among others. By focusing our collective expertise and resources on this critical issue, we will ensure a positive impact on our youth and community,” she said.

On Monday morning, Dec. 9, Lorri Brown, HCC senior program manager said, “We’re excited to share more about our plans to prevent youth substance use and support the students and families of RSU 73.”

She indicated the grant will fund evidence-based prevention programming, primarily in the middle and high schools, including:

• Catch My Breath, which addresses vaping prevention by educating students and building skills to resist peer pressure.
• Botvin LifeSkills Training, which focuses on substance use prevention by teaching decision-making, stress management, and other essential life skills.

“In addition to school-based programs, the coalition will coordinate a variety of community events designed to engage youth, families, and other stakeholders,” Brown said. “These events will be shaped collaboratively, with input from community members, and may include activities such as chemical-free family events, parent information nights, or guest speakers who share their experiences to inspire and educate students.”

To support those efforts, the grant includes funding for a 0.75 FTE prevention specialist, Brown indicated. “This individual will be based at HCC and work directly with RSU 73 to implement all initiatives associated with the grant, ensuring a strong connection between the coalition and the district,” she noted. “Parents and caregivers will also play an important role in these efforts through targeted programming, resources, and opportunities like Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings, designed to help adults support the well-being of young people in the community.”

Over five years, the consortium aims to achieve short-term outcomes such as increased capacity in addressing youth substance use and improved parent knowledge. Intermediate outcomes include improved school climate and decreased youth access to substances, while long-term goals involve reducing rates of binge drinking, cannabis use, and vaping among youth, as well as decreasing substance use among adults.

Albert said he’s looking forward to working together on a serious issue that affects many people in the community.