State Grant To Help Fund Drug Prevention

Members of the Huntington Youth Court program offered through the Huntington Youth Bureau.  Photo/Facebook/Huntington Youth Bureau

By Connor Beach

cbeach@longislandergroup.com

The Huntington Town Board accepted last week a state grant to help provide drug and alcohol prevention services to underserved communities.

The town was awarded the $84,958 grant from the New York State office of alcoholism and substance abuse services to help combat the ongoing opioid addiction crisis, according to Supervisor Chad Lupinacci.

The money will go towards the Huntington Youth Bureau drug and alcohol treatment and prevention program, according to town documents.

Lupinacci said that the Youth Bureau’s Drug and Alcohol Counseling and Education Center provides targeted programs that help “address the opioid crisis by delivering evidence-based prevention services to underserved, hard-to-reach youth and other at-risk populations through afterschool and weekend programs.”

Lupinacci added that risk factors including lack of parental supervision and involvement, academic failure, poor classroom behavior or social skills and poverty could increase the likelihood that a young person will abuse drugs.

The grant money will help fund after school prevention services through the implementation of Too Good for Drugs, SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness and Teen Intervene.

These programs are available at the Huntington Drug and Alcohol Counseling Center at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington.

“After school prevention services are provided to underserved youth and their families,” Lupinacci said. “The evidence-based prevention programs and strategies were selected based on needs of the community along with the proven outcomes.”

These programs are designed to provide alternatives to drug use for young people, and to provide education about the harmful effects of drug addiction.

The grant money will help fund drug treatment and prevention programs between now and April 30 of next year.