WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, announced $625,000 for five Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Programs across West Virginia. The funding comes from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and will be used to mobilize communities to prevent and combat youth substance use.

“Community-based solutions are among the most effective tools in our continued battle against the addiction crisis in West Virginia. Every community is different, and our approach towards substance use prevention needs to be tailored to the needs of specific areas, not a one-size-fits-all approach. The Drug-Free Communities Support Program is a great example of an effective approach, and helps youth in West Virginia avoid the path that leads to deadly drug addiction. I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact that this model can have across West Virginia, and I’m happy to see this funding aim to help provide the focused approach to substance use prevention that our state needs,” Ranking Member Capito said.

BACKGROUND:

The DFC Program is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent and combat youth substance use. The DFC Program provides funding to local coalitions to strengthen prevention programs and help create safe, healthy, drug-free communities across the United States. The funding helps organizations address and prevent youth substance use by helping to implement educational strategies at schools, increasing recruitment of community members into coalitions, and reducing youth access to dangerous substances.

Individual awards listed below: 

  • $125,000 The Martinsburg Initiative (Martinsburg, W.Va.)
  • $125,000 Jefferson Berkeley Alliance (Ranson, W.Va.)
  • $125,000 Logan County Prevention Coalition (Logan, W.Va.)
  • $125,000 Fayette Prevention Coalition (Fayetteville, W.Va.)
  • $125,000 Regional Family Resource Network, Inc. (Elkview, W.Va.)

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