Staff report

River Hills Prevention Connection is the recipient of a $125,000 federal grant from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program. This grant program, managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), represents an opportunity to strengthen ongoing efforts in preventing youth substance use in our 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 DFC funded coalitions are capable of achieving when implementing evidence-based prevention strategies at the local level,” said Helen Hernandez, administrator of the DFC Program at ONDCP.
“Through the DFC program, CDC is empowering community coalitions to implement local solutions to unique, local conditions, with the common goal of preventing youth substance use.” added Allison Arwady, MD, MPH, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC.
ONDCP’s DFC program is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. The DFC program 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 this grant, River Hills Prevention Connection will be able to continue building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community.
“River Hills Prevention Connection is grateful for the support of and partnership with ONDCP and CDC,” said Meagan Joseph, program director. “We are proud to share this mission and effort to prevent youth substance use and protect the well-being of our community”
Joseph added that the grant will allow River Hills Prevention Connection to better collaborate with its partners which include Ironton Alive, Lawrence County Health Department, Appalachian Family & Children’s First Council, The Ohio University Extension Office, King’s Daughters Medical Center, City of Ironton mayor, Ironton Metropolitan Housing Authority, Lawrence County Schools, Huntington Veterans Administration and IMPACT Youth-Led teams.
“By focusing our collective expertise and resources on this critical issue, we will ensure a positive impact on our youth and community,” she said.