Strategic prevention framework-partnerships for success for states - 2025 - the vermont department of health (VDH) proposes to reduce the onset and progression of alcohol and cannabis use/misuse by…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Vermont Agency of Human Services $8 million on September 30, 2025, under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.243) to reduce alcohol and cannabis use among youth and young adults in Vermont through expanded prevention capacity in underserved communities.

The Vermont Department of Health will establish a data-driven, statewide approach to substance misuse prevention targeting rural youth and young adults ages 13–25, including youth with parents experiencing substance use disorder, LGB+ youth, and youth living in poverty. The award funds identification of at least four communities statewide demonstrating need for enhanced prevention programming and provides funding and technical assistance to expand their use of evidence-based universal, selected, and indicated prevention strategies. Deliverables include development of an updated registry of evidence-based practices, state-led training on implementation, and organizational capacity building to sustain prevention programming over time.

The five-year award runs through September 29, 2030, with place of performance in Waterbury, Vermont. The Adept Educational Institute, Inc. received a sub-award on March 12, 2026, to deliver workforce development and statewide substance use prevention planning services.

Strategic prevention framework-partnerships for success for states - 2025 - the vermont department of health (VDH) proposes to reduce the onset and progression of alcohol and cannabis use/misuse by youth and young adults by expanding the capacity of community-based organizations statewide to implement and sustain prevention services in underserved communities with high substance misuse rates; promoting the use of evidence-based interventions and/or practices to maximize positive health outcomes; and, addressing larger, more systematic structural issues related to access to high quality prevention services for all populations that are relevant, recovery-oriented and trauma-informed as a means of improving overall health and wellbeing. Vermont's partnership for success (PFS) initiative - regional prevention partnerships (RPP) - will decrease substance misuse in vermont by identifying at least four communities/organizations statewide that demonstrate a need for enhanced prevention programming, and provide funding and technical assistance to these entities to expand their use of high quality universal, selected and indicated prevention strategies and increase their organizational capacity to implement and sustain prevention programming and produce positive outcomes over time. The population of focus is largely rural youth and young adults ages 13-25 statewide, including youth living with parents with a substance use disorder (SUD), LGB+ youth, and youth living in poverty. Youth and young adults in vermont use cannabis and drink alcohol at higher rates than the national average. The goals are: goal 1: establish a data-driven statewide, regional, and community-specific approach for delivering evidence-based substance misuse prevention strategies to reduce rates of cannabis and alcohol use among youth and young adults. Measurable objectives include: develop an updated registry of evidence-based practices (ebps); state-led training on using ebps; a pilot and rollout of an updated vermont-specific EBP registry; and administering/monitoring the young adult survey. Goal 2: implement evidence-based strategies to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors that minimize the initiation of use or misuse of cannabis and alcohol among youth and young adults. Measurable objectives include: identifying at least one underserved community and community-based provider in each of four regions; the development of workplans and logic models; media messaging; and monitoring/aggregating numbers served. Goal 3: maintain and strengthen state, regional and community level capacity and infrastructure to reduce high-risk behaviors in underserved communities that may contribute to youth and young adult substance use/misuse. Measurable objectives include: attendance at state-led trainings on capacity-building, prevention infrastructure, and/or sustainability planning; creation of a sustainability plan; and number of technical assistance requests filled. VDH expects to reach over 95% of vermont youth and young adults over the five years of this funding opportunity which is approximately 41,000 youth and young adults with individual and small group activities and approximately 100,000 through messaging. This breaks down to 28,925 in year 1 given assessment and start-up; and 57,850 per year in years 2, 3, 4 and 5.