CE26-0208 - engage douglas county drug free communities initiative - the douglas county drug free communities initiative based in douglas county, kansas is focused on strengthening community…

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded Dccca Inc. $250,000 on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276) to establish and strengthen the Engage Douglas County community coalition addressing youth substance use prevention in Douglas County, Kansas.

Engage Douglas County will apply the Strategic Prevention Framework to design interventions preventing the onset of alcohol and marijuana use and reducing substance abuse progression among youth aged 18 and under across Douglas County's urban and rural communities. The coalition will establish and strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and organizations to address youth substance use, and will identify environmental strategies and evidence-based programs targeting alcohol and marijuana use. The initiative covers Douglas County, which encompasses nine townships including the cities of Baldwin City, Eudora, and Lecompton, with a 2024 population of 121,989 of which 17.4 percent are residents under age 18.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The Drug-Free Communities Support Program requires community coalitions to have worked together for not less than six months on substance abuse reduction initiatives, demonstrate substantial community volunteer effort, maintain nonprofit or government status, establish self-sustainability strategy, and provide 100 to 150 percent cash or in-kind match.

CE26-0208 - engage douglas county drug free communities initiative - the douglas county drug free communities initiative based in douglas county, kansas is focused on strengthening community collaboration to prevent youth substance use. The community coalition, engage douglas county, will utilize the strategic prevention framework (SPF) to design interventions to strengthen community engagement and prevent the onset of alcohol and marijuana use and reduce the progression of substance abuse and its related problems among youth aged 18 and under in the county. The initiative will strengthen prevention capacity in douglas county to address these issues at the community level. Engage douglas county will focus our implementation efforts in douglas county, kansas, a region that includes both urban and rural communities. The county covers a total area of about 474.47 square miles and a population of 121,989 in 2024. Douglas county has nine townships, excluding lawrence, which include the cities of baldwin city, eudora, lecompton, and 15 other smaller, unincorporated communities. Residents under the age of 18 years make up 17.4 percent of the county's population. Douglas county is the fifth-most populous county in kansas. Between 2010 and 2020, douglas county grew by 11,700 residents, one-third of which identified as asian, black, hispanic, or native american. According to the 2024 census, douglas county residents are 83.1 percent white non-hispanic, 7.3 percent hispanic, 4.7 percent black, non-hispanic, 4.8 percent asian, non-hispanic, and 2.7 percent native american, non- hispanic. Engage douglas county has identified a variety of environmental strategies and evidence-based programs designed to address alcohol and marijuana use among youth. Our initiative will focus on two goal areas. Goal 1: establish and strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and organizations to address youth substance use. By june 30, 2027, engage douglas county will meet the following objectives: objective 1: increase collaboration with at least three new community groups as measured by coalition involvement. Objective 2: increase public awareness of substance use and misuse issues by ensuring all relevant resources are listed on the website. Objective 3: increase community awareness about the purpose of the coalition by tabling and/or providing information during at least one event quarterly. Objective 4: increase prevention knowledge and understanding of the coalition's purpose by hosting a town hall meeting to share information about the coalition and discuss community challenges. Objective 5: strengthen youth prevention efforts by engaging YEP! Chapters in prevention activities. Objective 6: enhance coalition sector representation and increase community collaboration as evidenced by establishing and maintaining at least one representative per sector within coalition roster and meeting attendance records. Goal 2: reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance use and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance use. Alcohol objective: decrease the percentage of 6TH, 8TH, 10TH, and 12TH grade youth in douglas county that report past 30-day alcohol use by 1.2% from a baseline of 7.2% in 2023 to 6% in 2026 as measured by kansas communities that care student survey data. Marijuana objective: decrease the percentage of 6TH, 8TH, 10TH, and 12TH grade youth in douglas county that report past 30-day marijuana use by 0.8% from a baseline of 3.8% in 2023 to 3% in 2026 as measured by kansas communities that care student survey data. Objectives will be reviewed annually with new performance targets established as targets are achieved.