news

ALBANY, NY – Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced today that $250,000 has been awarded to two Capital Region organizations through the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program. The awards will go to support programs that help prevent youth substance use in two local Capital Region communities, including:

• Troy Drug Free Community Coalition: $125,000
• Niskayuna Community Action Program: $125,000

Congressman Paul Tonko: “Last year, 72,000 Americans died from a drug overdose, more than were lost at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The Troy Drug Free Community Coalition and the Niskayuna Community Action Program have been on the front lines of this fight for many years, doing critical work to combat the spread of addiction in our region. I am proud of their efforts educating our young people about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse and congratulate them on this well-deserved federal support.”

James Carroll, Deputy Director of National Drug Control Policy:  “Since our first grant awards were made in 1998, the DFC Program has continued to expand its reach in communities across the country.  It is a testament to the great work DFC coalitions are doing, together with community partners that include parent groups, schools, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, businesses, and others to prevent drug use and improve the health of communities. Our local DFC coalitions are a key part of this effort because they are relentless in their work to prevent youth from initiating drug use and ultimately, saving more lives.”

The Drug-Free Communities 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, 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.

Prescription drug abuse prevention is one of the core measures of effectiveness for local DFC coalitions, and coalitions nationwide have led innovative opioid prevention initiatives. DFC’s 2017 National Evaluation End-of-Year Report found that at least 97% of middle school and 94% of high school youth report that they have not misused prescription drugs in the past 30-days in DFC communities.

# # #