Mccracken county asap drug free communities - mccracken county asap (agency for substance abuse policy) serves all of mccracken county, located in far western kentucky

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded Purchase District Health Department $125,000 on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (CFDA 93.276) to support the Mccracken County ASAP Coalition's substance use prevention efforts in Mccracken County, Kentucky.

The coalition, established in 2013, focuses on preventing tobacco and alcohol use among youth across Mccracken County's two public school systems and broader community sectors. The 12-month action plan employs the Strategic Prevention Framework and aligns with DFC's seven strategies. Key objectives include quarterly engagement with at least three new and three existing community stakeholders per quarter across twelve community sectors, and establishment of youth councils at both Paducah Tilghman and Mccracken County high schools with consistent membership of at least ten members. The coalition's approach builds on a comprehensive needs assessment identifying alcohol and tobacco as prevalent among local youth due to accessibility and societal acceptance.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. Performance occurs in Kentucky. As a Project Grant under the DFC program, the award supports coalition infrastructure and community collaboration to prevent youth substance abuse and reduce risk factors while promoting protective factors. The DFC program requires coalitions to demonstrate prior collaboration of at least six months, maintain composition and volunteer effort standards, provide 100–150 percent cash or in-kind match, and participate in program evaluation.

There are two public school systems in mccracken county, paducah public schools (city school system) and mccracken county public schools (county school system); each has one high school serving grades 9-12. The COALITION is made up of dedicated partners from various sectors, all united by a common goal: to prevent substance use and misuse, and to support recovery for every individual in mccracken county. The COALITION was established in 2013 and has never received DFC funding. The mccracken county asap COALITION (COALITION) members have determined that the COALITION should develop and maintain an initial focus on tobacco and alcohol use prevention among area youth. The COALITION determined these focus areas after a comprehensive needs assessment conducted over several months that found that alcohol and tobacco are prevalent among local youth partially based on their easy accessibility and partially on their societal acceptance. Mccracken county asap's efforts are built on a solid foundation of research and proven methods, notably the strategic prevention framework developed by the substance abuse and mental health services administration (SAMHSA). The 12-month action plan includes activities designed to directly meet the following objectives, which are aligned with DFC's seven strategies and logic model as well as DFC's two primary goals: objective 1.1: by july 2027, the mccracken county asap DFC project coordinator will meet with at least 3 new and 3 current community stakeholders per quarter within the 12 community sectors for capacity building and continuation. Objective 1.2: by july 2027, the mccracken county asap youth councils from both mccracken county and paducah tilghman high schools will have a consistent member list of at least 10 members as evidenced by the attendance sheets as having attended at least half of the offered meetings during the first year. Objective 2.1: by july 2027, the number of 10TH grade mccracken county and paducah tilghman high school students that reported using nicotine at least once during the past thirty days will decrease by at least 3% from 22.7% as evidenced by the kentucky incentives for prevention survey and other evaluation means. Objective 2.2: by july 2027, the number of 10TH grade mccracken county and paducah tilghman high school students that reported consuming alcohol at least once during the past thirty days will decrease by at least 3% from 19.2% as evidenced by the kentucky incentives for prevention survey and other evaluation means. The COALITION will contract with an external evaluator who will assist with monitoring changes in short-term, intermediate, and long-term indicators. All funds requested are reasonable, necessary, allowable, and directly linked to the strategies and activities described in the attached project narrative.