Grand Forks Receives Drug Free Communities Grant

Grand Forks, N.D. – Altru Health Foundation received a grant for $125,000 a year, for five years, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to prevent youth substance use in Grand Forks.

The Grand Forks Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (SAPC) will collaborate with Grand Forks Public Schools and other community agencies to address the use of alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs among our youth.

SAPC is an active coalition in Grand Forks. Its mission is, “To prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth and adults while promoting health and wellness across the lifespan.” SAPC members strive to provide a safe and healthy community in which our youth can do their best. SAPC works to create change in the culture surrounding substance use in Grand Forks by implementing evidence-based strategies to limit access to substances while highlighting the consequences associated with youth substance use. SAPC creates these changes by collaborating with local and state agencies to further reduce youth substance use by introducing changes or modifications to local and state policies. Connect with and learn more about the Grand Forks SAPC on Facebook by searching Grand Forks Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.

Bill Vasicek, Community Safety Coordinator with Altru states, “I am proud of our city’s accomplishments in striving to provide a safe and healthy community for our youth and I look forward to expanding the community’s determination to reduce the harms caused as a result of youth substance use.”

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.

About Altru Health System

Altru Health System is a regional-owned, integrated system with a general acute care hospital, a specialty hospital, more than a dozen clinics in Grand Forks and the region, and a large home care network. It employs nearly 300 providers and 4,000 staff and has an annual net operating revenue of more than $550 million. As the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Altru’s providers have access to clinically integrated tools extending Mayo Clinic’s knowledge and expertise to patients.