Project Grant H79SP085283

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Kent State University $600,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492) to strengthen prevention capacity and reduce substance abuse onset and progression among youth and adults in Eastern Ohio.

The Strategic Prevention Framework 2026 (SPF26) project will develop sustainable public health infrastructure across two regions: a ten-county Northeast region (Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Trumbull, and Tuscarawas Counties) and a ten-county Southeast region (Belmont, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, and Washington Counties). These regions are 55 percent rural, 25 percent partially rural, and 20 percent urban, with 80 percent Appalachian designation, serving historically underserved priority populations.

The project encompasses three key elements. First, Kent State will leverage a collaborative partnership with Prevention Action Alliance to expand substance misuse prevention programming and mental health promotion across the catchment area. Second, the project will develop and expand Insight, a comprehensive, near real-time data portal and online dashboard to improve substance use and abuse data reporting and guide prevention agencies and professionals. Third, additional infrastructure and intervention elements support the two-region network's prevention and mental health efforts. Work is performed in Kent, Ohio, with performance running through September 29, 2031.