Local News
Grant targets youth substance abuse
TBO.com
Published: October 11, 2012
AVON PARK - Are you underage and need a good excuse to get out of a drinking situation?Published: October 11, 2012
How about someone texting you an excuse you can use?
An educational texting campaign targeting underage drinking and alcohol use among Highlands County middle and high school students is one of the programs that will be funded by a $193,032 grant the Heartland Rural Health Network Inc. has received in collaboration with Drug Free Highlands and the Hardee Alliance for Substance Abuse and Teen Pregnancy Prevention.
The federal Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act grant will pay for four programs, said Kelly J. Johnson, executive director of Heartland Rural Health Network. The program provides funding for community-based coalitions to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth aged 12 to 20.
Johnson said they are working out the details but hope to roll out the programs in the next couple of months.
One of the things the grant money will support is more compliance checks of alcohol sales in collaboration with local law enforcement.
The Primary Retail Education Program also will be made available to local merchants that sell and/or serve alcohol to educate them on methods to reduce underage alcohol sales.
A one-to-one counseling program for kids at risk for substance abuse will be offered through Project Success.
The kids will be referred by the Department of Juvenile Justice and possibly Teen Court, said Jacqueline Rawlings, Drug Free Highlands Coalition chairwoman.