State Awarded $11.5 Million for Substance Abuse Prevention

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities received a grant of $11.5 million from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to reduce alcohol binge drinking among the state’s 14-25 year olds. 

 

The grant, which began earlier this year, funds Tennessee’s Partnerships for Success projects in 20 substance abuse prevention coalitions across the state over the next five years. The project aims to reverse the state’s upward trend in binge drinking; prevent the onset and progression of substance abuse among 14-25 year olds; strengthen prevention capacity and infrastructure at the state and county levels; and leverage, redirect, and realign Tennessee’s funding streams for alcohol and drug abuse prevention services.

 

“The award of this grant is a true testament to the recent and positive changes that have taken place in Tennessee’s substance abuse prevention system,” said TDMHDD Commissioner Virginia Trotter Betts. “We’re excited to partner with prevention coalitions and providers to reduce substance abuse among Tennessee’s youth and young adults and to improve community health and safety.”

 

The grant will utilize evidence-based and emerging practices to positively impact the policies, practices, and attitudes that support unsafe alcohol consumption and create a hazard to public safety in communities across Tennessee.

 

 “Efforts to reduce binge drinking and the consumption of alcohol among Tennessee’s youth and young adults are critical,” said Bruce Emery, assistant commissioner of the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services. “It is our hope that this competitive grant funding will help us to reach out to communities battling serious substance abuse issues and strengthen Tennessee’s substance abuse prevention services.”

 

The coalitions involved in the project are located in 20 Tennessee counties: Blount, Coffee, Davidson, Franklin, Hamblen, Hamilton, Jackson, Johnson, Knox, Madison, Maury, McMinn, Putnam, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Shelby, Sumner, Washington, and Weakley.

 

For more information about SAMHSA grants, please visit http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/. For more information about the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, please call TDMHDD’s Office of Communications at 615-532-4812 or visit www.tn.gov/mental.