Rep. Leger Fernández Announces White House Grant to Help Prevent Youth Substance Use in New Mexico

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Leger Fernandez announced that Hands Across Cultures in Española, New Mexico received $50,000 to help prevent substance use among youth in the community. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) provided the grant as part of the FY 2021 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Local Drug Crisis Program.

"New Mexico is all too familiar with the harsh realities of substance use in our communities. We have one of the highest rates of youth drug use in the country and investing in drug prevention is vital to protect our children's futures," said Leger Fernández. "This grant will allow Hands Across Cultures to support our youth and invest in programming to reduce the use of opioid, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs in my district."

"It is an absolute pleasure to hear that the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Local Drug Crises Grant Award will be coming to Northern New Mexico! We at Hands Across Cultures are very honored to receive such a prestigious award on behalf of the Revive Prevention Coalition and of the people of our valleys. In order to grow and continue the healing of our communities from the long-endured trauma and suffering, it is essential that we come together as creative entities. It is vital to collaborate in ways that are unique, exciting and bring vibrancy to the zeitgeist of Northern New Mexico. We need it now more than ever," said Diego Lopez, Executive Director at Hands Across Cultures.

The Coalition serves the Española and Pojoaque Valley including the Pueblos of Nambe, Tesuque, Pojoaque and San Ildefonso, New Mexico, a community of 27,480.

"We know that delaying substance use until after adolescence decreases the likelihood of a person developing a substance use disorder," said ONDCP Acting Director Regina Labelle. "It is also important that we consider social determinants of health such as poverty, homelessness, and other conditions as we build effective prevention strategies. This funding will help support the Biden-Harris Administration's mission to expand evidence-based prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services by providing our local partners in New Mexico with the resources they need to reduce youth substance use."

Supporting evidence-based prevention efforts to reduce youth substance use is one of the Biden-Harris Administration's Drug Policy Priorities for Year One, which also include:

expanding access to evidence-based treatment;
advancing racial equity in our approach to drug policy;
enhancing evidence-based harm reduction efforts;
reducing the supply of illicit substances;
advancing recovery-ready workplaces and expanding the addiction workforce; and
expanding access to recovery support services.
Background on the Community-Based Coalition Enhancement Grants to Address Local Drug Crisis Program

The purpose of this federal grantprogram is to enhance the efforts of current or formerDrug-Free Communities (DFC) recipients to prevent opioid, methamphetamine, and/or prescription drug use among youth ages 12-18 in communities throughout the United States. This program also seeks to change the culture and context regarding the acceptability of youth use and misuse of these substances.

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