Health dept. gets grant to fight meth

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PRINCETON — The Bureau/Putnam County Health Department has received a $10,000 Methamphetamine Community Coalition Mini-Grant to help fight substance abuse in Bureau and Putnam counties.

Dawn Conerton with the Bureau/Putnam County Health Department said the local Communities Against Substance Abuse Coalition (CASA) met July 24 to discuss the use of the grant through the development of a local program titled, Stop Meth Now.

The goal of the Stop Meth Now program is to increase education and awareness of meth abuse and to develop an effective educational program to sustain CASA’s efforts, Conerton said Monday morning.

The Stop Meth Now program will have a three-part focus, including promoting teachers awareness, training students and positive peer education, and an community outreach. Grant funds are to be used in the 2008-09 school year, ending April 30.

At the July 24 CASA meeting, members Terry Madsen and Deb Wood gave Power Point presentations on drug/substance abuse. Both presentations are available for use in area schools by contacting the local health department, Conerton said. Also, letters have already been mailed to area schools informing them of the grant programs and opportunities.

Details for the community-wide outreach portion of the grant funding are still being developed, Conerton said.

The CASA group is an outgrowth of the local IPlan assessment group which met last fall to prioritize heath needs in Bureau County. Substance abuse, obesity and heart disease were determined by the IPlan assessment group as the top three local health concerns.

On Monday, Conerton said the mission statement of CASA is to reduce substance abuse in youth in Bureau and Putnam counties and, in time, to also reduce substance abuse in adults by addressing factors in the community which increase the risks of substance abuse. The mission of CASA also includes promoting positive factors which minimize the risks of substance abuse, she said.

“Drug abuse is not just a young person’s problem,” Conerton said. “We want people of all ages to know there is help out there. We have resources available and can guide people in the right direction to get the help they need.”

The Methamphetamine Community Coalition Mini-Grant was received through the U.S. Department of Justice, as administered through the University of Illinois in Chicago.

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