FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2004, 4:20 p.m. CT

Gov. Johanns Announces $7.5 Million in Grants Awarded to Strengthen Youth Substance Abuse Prevention

(Lincoln, Neb.) Gov. Mike Johanns today announced grants totaling $7.5 million over three years to community coalitions to fund comprehensive community efforts to decrease substance abuse among youth ages 12 to 17 in Nebraska.

Fourteen coalitions were awarded $2.7 million in first-year funding. Funded community coalitions that demonstrate progress toward reducing substance abuse will be eligible for an additional two years of funding.

“Prevention is key to reducing drug use among our youth,” said Gov. Johanns. “I’m encouraged to see so many partners working together to develop and implement comprehensive community substance abuse prevention plans that will help Nebraska’s children.”

Funding comes from the State Incentive Cooperative Agreement (SICA), a state and federal partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. The mission of SICA is to reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by youth ages 12 to 17.

Community initiatives were selected by Nebraska Partners in Prevention, a statewide advisory council convened by Gov. Johanns and chaired by Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman. Selections were based on reviews by independent panelists who evaluated each grant proposal.

All selected projects involved broad-based partnerships that reflect the diversity of stakeholders within the community, including schools, public and behavioral health organizations, law enforcement, local government, businesses, community-based organizations, parents and youth.

SICA requires 85 percent of the $9 million total that Nebraska will receive, or $7.5 million, to go to local communities. The remaining funds are allocated for state-level capacity building, including training, technical assistance, data collection and evaluation.

A listing of the 14 coalitions that were funded is attached. Ten other proposals that had merit are being given an opportunity to submit additional information and to reapply for the remaining $300,000 in funding within 60 days.

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Nebraska State Incentive Cooperative Agreement Awards

Buffalo County Community Partners Prevention Advisory
Council (PAC) - $125,000
Contact: Denise Zweiner, 308-865-2284
The goal of this community is to reduce substance abuse through various approaches, including parent education, parenting skills-development, media campaigns, increased enforcement and beverage-server training.

Butler County Community Coalition - $120,327
Contact: Nancy Nickolite, 402-367-3781, x39
This community will reduce alcohol use in youth through a focus on limiting access to alcohol, increasing youth bonding to school and pro-social peers, and strengthening families.

Community Connections of Lincoln County - $175,000
Contact: Jayna Schaaf Swanson, 308-696-3355
This community will focus its efforts on reducing substance abuse among the students of the local middle school. The coalition will implement prevention strategies such as decreasing access, increasing enforcement, counter-advertising, mentoring, increasing youth bonding to school and pro-social peers and parents/families, and improving parenting skills.

Gage County Consortium - $175,000
Contact: Douglas Swanson, 402-223-1500, x1059
This community will focus on reducing alcohol use among youth through the application of strategies aimed at limiting access to alcohol; law enforcement initiatives; media educational campaigns; increasing bonding between students, their parents and pro-social peers; school-based curricula; and skills-building,

GLW Children’s Council - $150,000
Contact: Janet Hanna, 308-346-4200
This coalition, covering Garfield, Loup and Wheeler Counties, will decrease youth access and exposure to alcohol and tobacco through beverage-server training; increased enforcement; media educational campaigns; school-based regulations; increasing youth bonding to school and pro-social peers; school-based curricula; team-centered and peer-delivered education and skill-building; strengthening families and increasing family involvement; and increasing the availability of pro-social activities.

Grand Island Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition - $154,000
Contact: James A. Werth, 308-385-5900
This community will reduce rates of substance use and abuse through the implementation of strategies to increase enforcement, provide counter-advertising, improve parenting skills, provide mentoring, and increase bonding between youth and their parents/families.

Lancaster County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition - $165,330
Contact: C.J. Johnson, 402-441-4343
This coalition will address substance abuse prevention through county-wide efforts, as well as through strategies targeted specifically at the community of Malcolm. These approaches include counter-advertising, decreasing access to alcohol, increased enforcement, increasing youth bonding to school and pro-social peer-leaders, strengthening families and increasing the availability of pro-social activities.

Omaha Nation Community Response Team - $175,000
Contact: Dr. Brian Jimenez, 402-837-4190
This community coalition of the Omaha Tribe Reservation will focus its substance abuse prevention efforts on the communities of Macy and Walthill. Strategies include increasing youth bonding to school and pro-social peers as well as in and between youth, families, schools and communities; peer-leadership; parent education and parenting skills development; and skill-building.

Otoe County Coalition for Children - $105,928
Contact: Jacki Schmitz, 402-873-6343
Focusing on decreasing alcohol use, this community will work to increase youth bonding to their schools, pro-social peers, and in and between youth and their parents/families; provide school-based prevention curricula; implement a counter-advertising media campaign; decrease youth access to alcohol; and increase enforcement.

Panhandle Partnership for Human Services Prevention Coalition for Children, Youth and Families - $400,000
Contact: Joan Frances, 308-432-2747, x100
This coalition of 11 counties in Nebraska’s Panhandle includes communities in Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan and Sioux Counties. All of the represented communities will work together to reverse community norms that support alcohol consumption in order to promote a healthy and safe environment for children that reduces risks for alcohol and substance use and enhances individual and community wellness. Individual communities will address a wide array of substance abuse prevention strategies, with a special focus on preventing alcohol use.

Quad County Prevention Coalition - $100,459
Contact: Connie Jacobson, 308-995-4528
This coalition represents Franklin, Harlan, Kearney and Phelps Counties. This four-county community will decrease alcohol use through reducing youth access, counter-advertising campaigns, school-based curricula, increased youth bonding with school and pro-social peers, team-centered and peer-delivered education, and skill-building.

Regional Coalition Advisory Group - $650,000
Contact: Justin Mickles, 402-996-8381
This coalition covers Douglas, Dodge, Sarpy, Cass, Washington and Saunders Counties and includes a collaboration with the Ponca Tribe. The represented communities will employ a variety of substance abuse prevention strategies, including counter-advertising, reduced access, law enforcement, school-based curricula and norms change, increased bonding between youth and their school/parents/families, and skill-building.

Sherman County Prevention Policy Board - $93,845
Contact: Sheila Eloe, 308-745-1513, x110
This community will reduce alcohol use among youth through strategies that change community norms around substance use, increase youth bonding to school and pro-social peers, promote health family interactions, build skills and educate students about underage drinking through classroom curricula.

South Central Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition - $118,687
Contact: Norma Spady, 402-463-0524
The coalition aims to decrease alcohol and tobacco use by implementing prevention strategies that include reducing access; increasing enforcement; implementing media campaigns; and increasing youth bonding with schools, pro-social peers, and between youth and their parents/families.