Envisioning a healthier burlington-edison community - the envisioning a healthier burlington-edison community project expands capacity developed during years 1-5 of drug free communities' grant…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 to Skagit County Public Hospital District 304 (doing business as United General District 304) on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (CFDA 93.276) to expand substance use prevention capacity in the Burlington-Edison community.

The Burlington Healthy Community Coalition will execute seven community-level strategies addressing youth substance use in the Burlington-Edison School District in Skagit County, Washington through June 30, 2027. Activities include providing community members and families with information and resources on evidence-based family management strategies; enhancing coalition member skills in data collection through workshops and prevention trainings; supporting a high school prevention club and establishing a new middle school youth coalition; facilitating a youth-led assessment of neighborhood stores to understand local drivers of youth substance use; developing collaborative community programming in a new resource hub; and increasing access to youth-focused data, parenting prevention programs, and prosocial activities across grade levels.

The award represents continued funding from years one through five of the coalition's prior DFC grant. Period of performance extends to June 30, 2031. Place of performance is Washington. The Drug-Free Communities Support Program aims to establish and strengthen collaboration among community coalitions, government agencies, and nonprofits to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth by addressing community risk factors and promoting protective factors.

Envisioning a healthier burlington-edison community - the envisioning a healthier burlington-edison community project expands capacity developed during years 1-5 of drug free communities' grant funding for the burlington healthy community coalition (BHCC) to reduce substance use and increase multi-sector collaboration on evidence-based and practice-based strategies. Rates of youth substance use and associated risk factors in the burlington-edison school district in skagit county, washington are too high. The BHCC proposes addressing from 7/01/26 to 6/30/27 the local factors present through seven strategies for community-level change: • provide information for community members on the benefits of engagement with BHCC, & to increase knowledge of family management strategies via vetted online and physical resources. • enhance the skills of BHCC members for strategic data collection by creating a subcommittee to communicate rules and expectations to youth through workshops, and of students to execute evidence-based prevention activities by attending relevant prevention conferences and trainings, and of parents by sharing training opportunities. • provide support for existing high school prevention club/youth coalition as they implement strategies to educate and encourage their peers toward a substance-free life, a youth-led assessment of neighborhood stores illuminating the "why here" of youth substance use in the burlington-edison region, and the collaborative development of community programming that meets local needs and builds protective factors for youth in a new resource hub. • increase access to data related to youth in the community, to parenting programs designed to prevent substance use by improving visibility and ease of implementation by partners, opportunities for students in grades 6-8 to take part in prevention efforts by establishing a youth coalition in the middle school, prosocial activities for youth of all ages at events, and the incorporation of healthy youth survey (HYS) data into local strategies. • reduce barriers to participation in parenting programs by reducing the stigma that can be attached to parenting programs. • change consequences for local retailers selling alcohol, cannabis, and other substances by reward and reminder messages and increased compliance checks, and for youth who use substances at parties through enhanced patrols and applying supportive consequences. • change the physical design of the community by collaborating to launch a community center resource hub for students and families. • advocate policy changes to adopt a localized social host ordinance, further limiting youth access to substances and changing community norms. The BHCC has developed a comprehensive work plan addressing the primary project goals of 1) increased community collaboration and 2) decreased substance use through the strategies and activities listed above. Increasing membership by at least 10%, creating three BHCC subcommittees, and developing at least two shared spaces for positive community interactions will support goal one. Decreasing peer favorable attitudes toward drug use by 3%, decreasing perceived availability of alcohol and marijuana by 5%, and decreasing rates of poor family management by 6% will support goal two. The BHCC is backed by strong fiscal sponsorship and strategic support from skagit county public hospital district no. 304 (DBA united general district 304). United general district 304 offers more than 50 programs promoting health and wellbeing at every stage of life and has been a recognized leader in prevention for more than 25 years. Learn more at WWW.unitedgeneral.ORG.