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SPF SIG
UPDATES
The
Partnership Perspective –
By Drug Free Partnership
Coordinator Jeane Bock
Thank you
to our LaPorte County judges! Because our circuit court judges
have been so diligent in collecting drug offense related fines, the
Drug Free Partnership had more than $160,000 to appropriate in grants
this year!
How
does this work? Funding is obtained through court imposed fines
from convicted alcohol and drug related offenders. By state law, it is
placed into the Community Drug Free Fund. Seventy five % of these
funds are annually awarded through a grant process to community
organizations and individuals involved in designing and implementing
projects and services addressing the actions recommended in the Drug
Free Partnership’s County Plan. The Partnership attacks this
complicated issue via a three-pronged approach: Prevention and
Education, Treatment, and Justice. Twenty LaPorte County projects
are being funded this year.
Six
Justice grants are being awarded: LaPorte County Sheriff
Breathalyzers: $5,574, Teen Court, LaPorte: $8,045, Teen
Court, Michigan City: $8,635, LaPorte Metro Operations Drug
Task Force: $7,500, LaPorte Police Department: $4,800 for portable
breath tests, Risk Reduction/Women’s Groups at Bradley Center:
$800.
There are nine Prevention grants and projects: TRIAD pill
drops: $1,000, South Central Junior/Senior High School
self-esteem program: $1,977, Community Corrections Teacher:
$9,600, Project Ed: $10,000, County Jail Relapse Through
Employment Mentor and Education: $8,600, Boys and Girls
Club: $8,738 , YANA: $1,000, Special Red Ribbon Projects:
$2,000, Youth Making Moves: $2,000, Special Coalition
Projects: $4,000, Drug Free Partnership: $2,816 for
coalition building and public education.
Also, we’re giving six Treatment grants: Prenatal Substance Use
Prevention Program at Dunebrook: $5,000, Pathway Family Center for
adolescent treatment: $15,000, Open Door Adolescent
Treatment: $8,250, Community Corrections In-House Treatment:
$5,000, County Jail Substance Abuse Treatment: $8,500, It Takes a
Village Community Action Board / Rejoice: $10,000
Subsequent columns will focus on some of
these programs so you can hear firsthand what is going on in our
county, the problems we see, the stories we hear, and what is being
done. So thank you Honorable
Judges
Kathleen B. Lang, Steven E. King, Paul J. Baldoni, and William J.
Boklund for all your support in 2008. We could not do this
without you.
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SPF SIG PROGRAM
Work has
continued at a hectic pace over the past several months as the project
team for the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF
SIG) has gathered a wealth of valuable data for the county’s drug /
alcohol / tobacco epidemiological study. Community members still are
invited to become involved in this federally-funded initiative to
improve local drug and alcohol prevention efforts.
The SPF SIG
grant focuses on reducing youth access to alcohol and tobacco; reducing
alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use among Indiana youth and adults,
along with substance abuse-related crime and problem behavior;
and increasing capacity and effectiveness of Indiana's prevention
system.
To gather the
statistics and data reflecting use and abuse trends in our communities,
several local workgroups have formed to determine where and how to
collect this essential information.
The groups include:
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 Local
Advisory Council oversight group, consisting of the Drug Free
Partnership board.
Local
Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup headed by Roosevelt University
to gather stakeholders from law enforcement, health care, mental health,
schools, social service organizations, etc. to collect specific data.
Evaluation
– to determine the process moves forward effectively.
Training /
Outreach – to inform the community about the process.
Cultural
Competency – to consider cultural implications in regards to the
issues.
Youth – to
actively involve students in the process.
Program
Policy – to evaluate existing local prevention and treatment
programs.
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