FY 2004 Continuation Drug Free Communities Support Program

Community Connections, Inc. is the fiscal agent for the Creating Opportunities for Youth Coalition. The coalition is located in Mercer County in southern West Virginia. The county has a mix of suburban and rural communities and a population of 62,980. The goals of the coalition are: 1) to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs among Mercer youth; and, 2) to strengthen the already-established coalition in the community to prevent and reduce substance abuse in Mercer County. To achieve these goals, the coalition will implement the following strategies:
1) increase early identification of serious anxiety and depression problems;
2) assist with the teen court program;
3) increase the number of referrals into existing intervention and treatment programs;
4) increase community awareness of the problems associated with ATODA;
5) support school-based prevention programs;
6) increase the awareness of the potential harm of drug involvement; and,
7) enhance the current strategic plan to identify additional gaps in services, additional research based programs or interventions. CA/NCF