The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded a $373,479 Project Grant under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance (CFDA 93.243) program to Texas State University. The grant will fund the "Fentanyl Education, Support Training, and Awareness (FESTA) Program" to support substance misuse prevention efforts in Hays County, Texas. Key activities include:
Implementing evidence-based, trauma-informed, and data-driven strategies such as conducting a needs assessment, establishing a community advisory board, creating and delivering educational curriculum and trainings for students, teachers/staff, and parents/caretakers, providing alternative events, employing a licensed chemical dependency counselor, and collecting formative and summative data for evaluation and quality improvement. The program aims to serve over 9,000 adolescents and 500 adults in Hays County over the 5-year project period from September 2024 to September 2029 through a multi-pronged approach targeting information dissemination, education, community-based processes, and environmental strategies.