Newtown Stepping Up Underage-Drinking Prevention With State Grant

By John Voket

As part of a federally-funded $11.8 million initiative to combat underage drinking, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) has recently provided grants totaling $2 million to 29 communities and universities to strengthen prevention efforts at the local level.

One of the grants was presented to Newtown Youth Services.

The agency is in the process of merging with the Family Counseling Center of Newtown to form Newtown Youth and Family Services, with plans for the merger to be completed by July 1, 2007.

Covering a three-year period, the local grants of between $50,000 and $85,000 will allow the communities to begin implementing a comprehensive state-coordinated, community-based approach that the state has adopted to reduce alcohol use among minors and young adults. The funding will be directed to prevention work by community groups, local task forces, schools and universities.

Newtown Youth Services (NYS) received $61,000 per year with an additional two-year renewal opportunity according to NYS Chairman Chris Gardner.

“The merged agency will be working with the Prevention Council to formulate the best strategic utilization of the grant,” Mr Gardner said.

Beth Barton, who is heading up the new agency and is currently serving as director of the Family Counseling Center said some of the funds may go to Police programs, but the majority of the funds will likely flow to community initiatives.

Deputy Commissioner Peter Rockholz said underage drinking is a problem across the nation, but in Connecticut it is an especially high priority.

“Although the state’s prevention efforts have made some headway, the numbers of teenagers who use alcohol and the age of initial use remain a persistent public-health concern,” he said.

“Through strong community collaboration and ongoing evaluation of prevention activities, we can increase the effectiveness of our prevention work,” Mr Rockholz added. “Working together to discourage underage drinking, the state and communities can identify programs, policies and practices that work best to keep our youth safe.”

Connecticut’s initiative is supported by a Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). Connecticut is among 35 states to incorporate SAMSHA’s blueprint for improved substance-abuse prevention and mental health services since the grant program began in 2004. The model emphasizes data-driven strategic planning with strong community involvement and continuous assessments, including better data collection, to produce results-backed programming.

In obtaining the grant, state officials and experts whose work relates to substance abuse and mental health agreed that alcohol — especially among youth — should be the chief focus.

“Overwhelmingly, alcohol remains the drug of choice for Connecticut’s youth,” said Ryan Obedzinski, a senior program coordinator with The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “Kids in our state drink alcohol too much, too early, too often. The consequences of their alcohol consumption can have negative long-term effects. Studies have repeatedly documented that how early and how heavily youths drink can determine their drinking habits as adults. By focusing at the local level, we can effectively coordinate law enforcement, programs, and services to create a targeted response to community needs. Our ultimate goal is to reduce access and change attitudes that contribute to underage drinking.”

The Governor’s Prevention Partnership is helping the selected communities develop strategies and assessment tools to initiate the new state prevention plan. Established in 1989, the partnership is a nonprofit, public-private collaboration providing leadership, support and resources to keep Connecticut kids safe, successful and drug-free. It is partially funded by the DMHAS and the state Office of Policy Management.

According to the 2003–2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Connecticut ranks eighth highest in the nation for past month usage of alcohol and 15th for binge and high-risk drinking. The 2000 GPIY (Governor’s Prevention Initiative for Youth) Survey found that Connecticut’s youth drink at rates 26 to 28 percent higher than their peers nationally with nearly half of 9th and 10th graders surveyed using within the last 30 days.

Other regional grant recipients include Fairfield University, the Trumbull Board of Education, Westport’s Positive Directions program, the City of Bridgeport, Western Connecticut State University and the Waterbury Youth Service System.