Mount Carmel, Illinois — Wabash County Drug Free Community Coalition has been selected as a recipient of a $125,000 in 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.

 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, Wabash County Drug Free Community Coalition will be able to continue building a safe, healthy, and drug-free 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.

 “Wabash County Drug Free Community Coalition is grateful for the support of and partnership with ONDCP and CDC,” said Wabash County Health Department Administrator, Judy Wissel.  “We are proud to share this mission and effort to prevent youth substance use and protect the well-being of our community. Furthermore, this grant will allow us to better collaborate with our partners, including Wabash County Health Department, Wabash County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Carmel Police Department, Wabash CUSD #348 , Wabash County Chamber of Commerce, WSJD-FM Radio Network, Allendale Community Consolidated School District, H.E.R.O. Foundation, First Christian Church of Allendale, Rotary Club, Wabash General Hospital, Wabash Community Health Center, and Wabash County Drug Court. By focusing our collective expertise and resources on this critical issue, we will ensure a positive impact on our youth and community.”

 More information about the DFC program can be found here.