Grand Forks Public Health, school system receive funds to combat underage drinking
Oct. 13—Grand Forks Public Health, in partnership with Grand Forks Public Schools, has received $62,500 from the state of North Dakota to combat underage drinking.
The North Dakota Department of Human Services' Division of Behavioral Health awarded the funds from the $750,000 it received through the federal 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
The contract with Grand Forks Public Health will be carried out in three phases, according to a news release from Grand Forks Public Schools. The phases are assessment and planning Oct. 1-31; implementation, Nov. 1-July 31, 2022; and evaluation, Aug. 1-Sept. 30, 2022.
This effort is also funded in the states through the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant program. The goals of the program are to increase capacity for sustaining prevention in the state's public health and behavioral health systems and to make positive changes in priority areas.
"Being able to provide primary prevention strategies that specifically target underage drinking will allow us to continue to promote the healthy communities we want all of our children to thrive in," said Sarah Shimek, character education and prevention coordinator at Grand Forks Public Schools.
