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Healthy Community Coalition, RSU 73 win $625,000 federal grant to curb youth substance use
Summary
Healthy Community Coalition and RSU 73 received a five‑year, $625,000 federal grant to reduce youth substance use in Franklin County and Spruce Mountain schools; the program will use a multi‑sector coalition, a program coordinator and school‑based events, with measurable five‑year reduction goals.
Liana Lavoie, director of the Healthy Community Coalition, told the RSU 73 school board that her organization and the district were awarded a five‑year grant last fall ‘‘to build partnerships and collaborations aimed at preventing substance use among youth.’’ She said the award totals $625,000 — $125,000 per year — from federal agencies the coalition applied to with RSU 73.
The coalition and district will focus on changing risk and protective factors that contribute to underage alcohol, cannabis and vaping use. Lavoie cited school survey data showing recent‑30‑day use among high‑school students in the region at about 36% for alcohol, 20% for cannabis and 34% for vaping, and said those figures are self‑reported by students in a periodic school survey.
Why it matters: the grant funds a 5‑year intervention with quantifiable targets. Lavoie said the program aims over five years to lower binge drinking and vaping by 5% and cannabis use by 3% among high‑school students, and to reduce adult substance use by 5% in the county. The district and coalition will track progress using the same county/school surveys the presenter cited.
What will be done: the program has created a 12‑sector multi‑sector coalition that meets monthly, hired a local program coordinator (Lavoie introduced Jade as the new coordinator), and has begun outreach and events — including a chemical‑free sledding night that drew more than 130 students and adults. Lavoie offered monthly coalition meetings to interested community members and listed contact information for follow‑up.
Data limits and evaluation: Lavoie and board members acknowledged the survey data are self‑reported and collected only every couple of years, which limits precision about regular versus experimental use. In response to questions about goals and timing, Lavoie said the reduction targets are intended to be achieved by the end of the five‑year grant.
Next steps: the program will continue coalition meetings, deploy school‑ and community‑level prevention strategies and report progress to the board and community; interested residents were invited to contact the program coordinator for meeting information.
