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January 18, 2008

State Awards Grant for Alcohol Prevention

Nearly $9 million of an $11.6 million federal grant for substance abuse prevention will be shared among six Montana organizations located throughout the state, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) said Friday.

According to DPHHS officials, the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) will provide $8.9 million in funding that will focus specifically on preventing binge drinking and drunk driving for people of all ages, but especially targets youth.

The following organizations will receive the listed funding for a 3 1/2-year time period beginning this month.

  • Havre HELP Committee, $1,074,388.00.
  • District II Alcohol and Drug Services, $1,802,784.89.
  • Blackfeet Housing, $1,843,238.00.
  • Butte-Silver Bow County Health Department, $1,533,950.26.
  • Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, $681,386.00.
  • Flathead Reservation and Lake County Coalition for Kids, $1,988,211.11.

A review committee chose the recipients in part by information provided through a six-month needs study commissioned for this project. “This was an extensive project that federal government required us to do and we’re proud of the results,” said Jackie Jandt of the Chemical Dependency Bureau of DPHHS.

Governor Brian Schweitzer agrees. “The recognition of the problem of underage drinking and building new efforts to address this issue is very important to me,” Gov. Schweitzer said. “I’m hopeful this funding will help reduce the devastating impacts this problem continues to have on our communities.”

The committee chose the six recipients from an applicant pool of 13 using an objective process that identified which counties had the most need.

Now, the important work really begins, said DPHHS Director Joan Miles. “The harmful effect this issue has on Montana families is immeasurable,” Miles said. “This grant will allow the recipients to take a hard look at alcohol-related issues in their communities and it will give them the tools to do something about it.”

Miles said all the recipients will spend the next six months identifying the alcohol-related issues within their communities and how they influence minors.

For example, the organizations might study issues such as how alcohol is served at community functions, or helping tavern owners with training on how to avoid serving minors. “There’s a lot of different things that can be done,” Miles said. “But, in the end it’ll be a community solution on how they want to address this issue.”

The organizations will be working with county commissioners, law enforcement and school superintendents to mitigate the problems associated with substance abuse problems that plague Montana communities.

Then, after compiling information each agency is will be asked to file a report this September. “The goal is to understand the problems associated with substance abuse and to come up with solutions,” Miles said.

The SPG SIG grant is distributed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), federal agency that works with states and communities to develop comprehensive prevention systems that create healthy communities.

Montana now joins 32 other states that have received SPG SIG funds.

For more information call Jandt at 406-444-9656.

Page last updated: 01/18/2008