Fall River among those receiving parts of $3.8 million in youth substance use prevention grants

BOSTON (April 20, 2021) – The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced $3.8 million in annual grants to 31 youth substance use prevention programs serving communities across the Commonwealth.

This is the third Massachusetts Collaborative for Action, Leadership, and Learning (MassCALL3) award under the Substance Misuse Prevention Grant Programs. The grants will be distributed over eight years to support local substance use prevention efforts in communities across the Commonwealth. The program outlines three goals:

Community engagement and capacity building: To be deployed for communities with limited or no existing capacity and infrastructure to implement a systematic public health planning process and a comprehensive set of evidence-based prevention programs, policies, and practices to prevent youth substance misuse.
Comprehensive strategy implementation: Communities with existing prevention program capacity and experience will receive additional support to implement a comprehensive set of prevention services directed at youth and focused on substances of first use, such as alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis.
Innovation and promising practices implementation: Communities that have already implemented a detailed substance misuse plan or adapted an existing approach that has not been formally described in prevention literature will receive expert assistance in examining and disseminating new and emerging practices that have the potential to fill gaps in current prevention scientific evidence.

“The Commonwealth continues to invest in and support evidence-based initiatives that address the very serious issue of substance use among our young people,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “These awards build on the Administration’s commitment to expand pathways to substance use prevention programs at all levels in every area of the state.”

“Boosting the Commonwealth’s substance use prevention and treatment system infrastructure and capacity has been a top priority for us,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “It is essential that these important programs be accessible to families and vulnerable young people.”

“With these awards we are ensuring that substance use prevention programs expand across communities for youth outreach especially amid unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “Supporting these programs is crucial to our goal of preventing high-risk outcomes for youth struggling with substance use, including school drop-out, criminal justice involvement, or death.”

“Substance Misuse Prevention grants have supported local initiatives, including those aimed at decreasing underage drinking and opioid-related overdoses, in an ongoing effort to ensure necessary services are provided to at-risk populations,” said Deputy Commissioner Margret Cooke. “These grant resource investments encourage sustainable community-led models and innovative approaches aimed at substance use prevention.”

The grant award begins in FY22 and continues through FY29. The program is funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant.

“We are working to build capacity and deepen the bench of substance use prevention resources in local communities,” said Deirdre Calvert, Director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. “Massachusetts’ communities are centers of the innovation, passion, and ingenuity we need to boost in order to educate and protect our youth from substance use.”

Among the award recipients are:

Barnstable County Department of Human Services
Bay State Community Services Inc.
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
Boston Public Health Commission
City of Brockton
City of Chelsea
City of Fall River
City of Fitchburg
City of Gloucester
City of Lowell
City of Lynn
City of Medford
City of Newburyport
City of Peabody (Peabody Police Department)
City of Springfield
City of Somerville
City of Worcester
Franklin Regional Council of Governments
High Point Treatment Center
Hopkinton Youth and Family Services
Martha’s Vineyard
Northern Berkshire Community Coalition
Project R.I.G.H.T., Inc. (Boston)
Quabbin Drug Response Unifying Group
Railroad Street Youth Project
SSTAR (Taunton, Attleboro, Mansfield, and Norton)
Town of Hudson
Town of Stoughton
Wayside Youth and & Family Support Network (Framingham)