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Washington DC…U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson today announced a $100,000 Drug-Free Communities matching grant for Prairie Center Health Systems, Incorporated in Danville. The announcement was to come during a 2:30 p.m. news conference at the Prairie Center facility at 3435 N. Vermilion Street. The grant was one of 183 new grants totaling $17.5 million awarded today to community anti-drug coalitions across the country. These coalitions are comprised of a diverse cross-section of parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, the media, and community leaders. They work to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among youth.
“The $100,000 Drug-Free Communities grant we are announcing today is great news for the anti-drug efforts of Vermilion County.” said Representative Johnson. “Drug prevention works. The Drug-Free Communities Program and other drug prevention efforts are the most cost-effective approach to the drug problem, sparing society the future costs that treatment, rehabilitation, lost productivity, and other social problems related to drugs incur. The Prairie Center is doing crucial drug prevention work in our community and this additional influx of federal money will help them expand their efforts and reach more of Vermilion County’s children.”
Betty Seidel, Director of Vermilion County Prairie Center Health Systems said, “Vermilion County has many risk factors for adolescent substance abuse. These risk factors include: poverty, historically high unemployment, and lack of prevention services in rural schools, a lack of access to pro-social activities, youth perceptions of drug use and its availability, along with high rates of academic challenges.”
Created under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, the Drug-Free Communities Program has earned strong bipartisan support from Congress. In December of 2001, Congress passed and the President signed into law a five-year extension of the Drug-Free Communities Act authorizing $399 million in funds through FY 2007.
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