By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will provide $2,375,000 through the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) program to 19 community programs throughout Kentucky, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced.
As part of a comprehensive approach to combatting the drug abuse epidemic through prevention, treatment, and interdiction, the DFC program awards grants to organizations that fight substance abuse among young people.
McConnell, R-Louisville, supported the DFC program as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and helped secure $109 million for the nationwide initiative in the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill, which the Senate passed, and the President signed into law last December.
“Kentucky’s drug addiction epidemic continues to take a deadly toll on our communities, and with fentanyl flooding across our southern border, the crisis is far from over,” McConnell stated. “In response, I have helped mobilize federal resources to combat this crisis across the Commonwealth and hosted Drug Czars from several administrations to see the impact of our efforts firsthand. The Drug-Free Communities program, which plays a special role in fighting drug abuse among young people, continues to invest in Kentucky and keep dangerous substances out of our communities.”
The 19 programs include these from Northern Kentucky:
• Owen County Drug Prevention Coalition, Owenton
Hope’s Hands Inc.
$125,000
• Champions for a Drug-Free Grant County, Williamstown
Grant County Schools
$125,000
• Champions for a Drug Free Pendleton County, Butler
Pendleton County Board of Education
$125,000
• Campbell County Drug Free Alliance, Newport
Campbell County Drug Free Alliance, Inc.
$125,000
• Erlanger-Elsmere Early Childhood Community Collaborative, E3C, Erlanger
Erlanger-Elsmere Board of Education
$125,000
• Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio, Inc., Ft. Mitchell
Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio, Inc.
$125,000