JAY — LeeAnn Lavoie, director of the Healthy Community Coalition in Farmington, told Regional School Unit 73 directors March 27 about a five-year grant received in partnership with the district to help reduce substance use.

“In 2024 we partnered with RSU 73 to submit a grant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Center Disease Control and Prevention to build partnerships and coalitions aimed at preventing substance use among youth,” Lavoie said.

Last fall it was announced a five-year $625,000 grant was awarded – $125,000 each year for five years, Lavoie said. “We started this work in October of 2024. The reason why we applied for this grant is we’re seeing an increase in substance use.”

Lavoie spoke of statistics pertaining to middle and high school students obtained from Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey for Franklin County. She shared the numbers for high school students:

• 36% reported use of alcohol in the past 30 days.

• 20% reported use of cannabis in the past 30 days.

• 34% reported use of vaping in the past 30 days.

• Two out of three students reported using cannabis once or twice a week poses no risk for health.

• One out of four reported they believe their parents would feel it would not be wrong to use cannabis.

“This is some of the data that helped inform some of the work that we’re doing,” Lavoie said. “What I think is important to share is that over 50% of our youth in Franklin County feel like they do not matter. When they feel like they don’t matter, they are at higher risk for engaging in risky behaviors such as substance use.”

Long-term goals of the program include:

• Reduce binge drinking by high school students 5%.

• Reduce cannabis use by high school students 3%.

• Reduce vaping by high school students 5%.

• Reduce substance use among adults by 5%.

A 12-sector coalition has been formed from across the community that meets monthly with Spruce Mountain graduate Jayde Couture, program coordinator, Lavoie said. “We are working on developing strategies with the coalition to address risk and protective factors, things that we know that make a difference in youth using substances and engaging in risky behaviors,” she said. “We have hosted one chem-free event in partnership with Spruce Mountain. We had over 130 students and adults attend a sledding night.”

Lavoie said she provided an overview of work being done with the grant. “This is the work we are setting out to do and anyone is invited to participate in the monthly meetings,” she said.

For more information, email jayde.couture@mainehealth.org.

“On these program long-term goals, is this a monthly goal, half year goal, a yearly goal or a five-year goal since this is a five-year program?” Director Andrew Sylvester of Livermore asked.

“These program goals are for the end of the five years,” Lavoie said. “These are county level data that we get from a survey that’s done every couple years with the schools. That’s actually hard to change. Five percent might seem like a small amount, but that’s a lot to change. Those are hefty goals that we’re really looking to achieve.”

“The numbers under the problem, the 36% under cannabis, how accurate do we think those numbers are?” Chairperson Don Emery of Livermore Falls asked.

“They are self reported,” Lavoie said. “So the students at each school district engage in this survey every two years. The students are given these questions and they self report that they’ve used at least once in the last 30 days. So it could have been “I just tried it,” but we don’t know if they’re regularly using. Basically just what the students are saying they’re doing.”

Numbers are probably under reported, Lavoie said.

The program is targeting both middle and high schools, she said.