Preventing youth substance misuse in madison county, ARKANSAS9POP. 17,775).madison county health coalition will implement the grant workplan and budget

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded Madison County $125,000 under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276) on July 1, 2026, to prevent youth substance misuse in Madison County, Arkansas.

Madison County Health Coalition will implement the grant workplan to address youth marijuana use and misuse and prescription opioid use and misuse in the rural county (population 17,775). The coalition will provide substance abuse prevention information to youth through classroom presentations, teen summits, and youth groups; present data on youth drug use to community stakeholders at civic organizations, parent groups, and town hall meetings; conduct monthly coalition member meetings and trainings; and deliver school faculty trainings. The action plan incorporates CADCA's Coalition Processes for the Strategic Prevention Framework and includes short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives guided by individual and environmental prevention strategies and a detailed data collection plan for evaluation. MCHC, established in 2000, will oversee grant project activities, budget management, data collection, and communications.

The period of performance runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. Place of performance is Arkansas.

Focu.SON prescription drug misuse & marijuana - madison county, arkansas in partnership with their local health coalition, the madison county health coalition (mchc), is seeking $625,000 from the drug free communities grant program to strengthen collaboration with the coalition, to address youth substance misuse, specifically, to reduce youth marijuana use and misuse and prescription/opioid use and misuse. Madison county is a rural county in northwest arkansas (POP.17,775). Mchc will oversee the grant project, activities, budget, data collection, and communication. Mchc was formed in 2000 and has experience managing grants from local, state, federal and private funding. Madison county health coalition mission: to address madison county's health issues through a collaboration of diverse community interests including youth, seniors, homeless, drug prevention including misuse of opioids and mental/behavioral health. Mchc has worked with coalition members, community leaders, school administration and 12 sector representatives to outline an action plan guided by cadca's coalition processes for the strategic prevention framework. The seven strategies for community-level change will be included. The plan outlines short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives; individual and environmental prevention strategies; and a detailed data collection plan to guide evaluation and updates for the first year of funding. Examples of how the coalition will achieve its goals are providing information to youth - in the classrooms, teen summits, and youth groups; to the community - presenting data of youth drug use from the arkansas prevention needs assessment (apna) at civic organizations, parent groups, & town hall meetings; to coalition members at monthly meetings and trainings; to school faculty at school and coalition trainings; and to government officials about youth substance use in madison county. Mchc plans to build leadership skills in youth; and partner with medical providers and prescribers to reduce youth access to prescription/nonprescription drugs. Mchc will utilize the advice from an outside evaluation group to establish an extensive evaluation plan. Mchc will collect data per this evaluation plan. The project director will meet with the evaluator frequently. Revisions will be made in data collection and reporting as needed. Ongoing measurement, evaluation, and communication of progress will allow for evidence-based strategies to be adopted throughout the funding cycle and help the coalition be a catalyst for change in the community by helping prevent youth substance abuse, and eventually, reducing overall substance abuse in madison county. Since there is limited to no after school programs or 'things to do' for youth in madison county, year one of DFC funding will work on partners and champions to provide resources for youth. The drug free communities work plan for madison county health coalition should improve data from the arkansas prevention needs assessment for marijuana and prescription drug/opioid use and misuse by youth in madison county.