River Valley Rising

In 2014, River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition was awarded the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grant. The DFC Grant is a 5-year federal grant through the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The primary purpose of the DFC program is to: strengthen collaboration among community entities; and reduce substance use among youth. As a DFC grantee, RVHCC is required to work toward these two goals as the primary focus of its Federally-funded effort.

Grants awarded through the DFC program are intended to support established community-based coalitions capable of effecting community-level change. For the purposes of the DFC program, a coalition is defined as a community-based formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among groups or sectors of a community in which each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community. Coalitions receiving DFC funds are expected to work with leaders within their communities to identify and address local youth substance use problems and create sustainable community-level change through environmental strategies.

The Drug Free Communities  (DFC) initiative is a community-wide effort of youth, parents, business leaders, schools, police officers, faith communities, health care providers, and others to decrease alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug use among River Valley’s youth and adults.

Underlying the work of the initiative is the belief that the best way to combat substance abuse is by building a community that champions developmental assets or conditions which promote a youth-focused outlook, creative outlets for youth, supportive families, and caring neighborhoods, positive values and identity, and social competencies, among many other critical skills and social conditions.

RVR is based on the SAMHSA model program Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol. Since June 2012, RVR has been engaged in a mentoring relationship with 21 Reasons of Portland, a project of Medical Care Development, Inc. Funding under a 2-year federal Mentor Grant through the Drug Free Communities program includes fiscal management and staff support. October 1, 2014 RVHCC was granted the Drug Free Community Grant, a Federal grant program (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA))that provides funding to community-based coalitions that organize to prevent youth substance use. The DFC grant is a 5 year grant to implement Drug Free Community that will directly impact the community.