Unite for Youth gets $150,000 grant to help reduce drug abuse

The Western News

Lincoln County Unite for Youth can kick off a program aimed at reducing drug abuse in the community — including prescription medications and methamphetamines — thanks to a three-year, $150,000 grant.

The Lincoln County Commission on Wednesday voted 3-0 to provide financial oversight of the federal grant, which is funded by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of July 2016.

According to Unite for Youth documentation, the evidence-based Project Strong, Safe and Healthy involves federal, state and local agencies and organizations. By May 2021, the program’s goal is to reduce 30-day use of prescription medication in 8th through 12th grade youth by 5 percent, while increasing by 4 percent the harm the same group perceives in drug use.

The program also aims to increase collaboration among federal, state and local agencies in the county by 20 percent by May 2021.

The program will have a central data collection system to track problem behaviors and changes in the community associated with prescription drug and methamphetamine abuse. It will also promote positive, protective factors at the individual and family level, and seek to reduce availability of prescription medication through outreach to those who are prescribed medications.