Proactive prevention coalition aims to serve between 12 and 17 youth hailing from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who are significantly impacted by natural disasters in the municipality of…

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 to Southern Empowerment Initiative Inc. under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276) on July 1, 2026.

The Proactive Prevention Coalition will serve between 12 and 17 youth from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds significantly impacted by natural disasters in the municipality of Juana Díaz on the southern coast of Puerto Rico (postal code 00795). The coalition aims to enhance prevention capacity and infrastructure within Juana Díaz and decrease alcohol and prescription drug usage and misuse among the youth population, with alcohol misuse as the primary focus due to its widespread accessibility, significant prevalence, normalization within communities, presence of numerous retailers and tourist activity, and clandestine moonshine distilleries.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. The Drug-Free Communities Support Program establishes and strengthens collaborations supporting community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth by addressing risk factors and promoting protective factors within communities.

Proactive prevention coalition aims to serve between 12 and 17 youth hailing from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who are significantly impacted by natural disasters in the municipality of juana diaz. The municipality IT located on the southern coast of puerto rico. IT borders orocovis and villalba to the north; the caribbean sea to the south; ponce to the west; and coamo and santa isabel to the east. According to the united states census, the population of juana diaz is approximately 45,919. Communities face greater vulnerability owing to a lack of resources and challenging access to certain areas, as well as insufficient enforcement, which facilitates substance use among the youth. The objectives of our coalition are to enhance prevention capacity and infrastructure within the municipality juana diaz, as well as to decrease both alcohol and prescription drug usage and misuse among the youth population. Alcohol misuse will be the primary focus of our prevention efforts due to its widespread accessibility, significant prevalence, and the normalization of use and abuse within our communities. This prevalence is exacerbated by the numerous retailers and the tourist activity our townships experience, as well as the presence of clandestine moonshine distilleries. Furthermore, there is an immediate need for improvements to infrastructure and capacity-building measures to effectively address alcohol usage and prescription drug misuse among minors, as identified by key informants and representatives from the community coalition. Our goals encompass increasing community collaboration along with enhancing the capacity of both the coalition and its stakeholders. Moreover, by leveraging the latest evidence-based strategies, we aspire to reduce substance use among youths, with a specific emphasis on alcohol and prescription drug usage and misuse. Our catchment area encompasses the US postal codes is 00795.