DEARBORN — ACCESS will receive $125,000 in federal funding as part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-12th District) announced today.
The grant funding will allow ACCESS to implement programs to prevent youth substance use, including abuse of prescription drugs, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol.
The ACCESS Substance Abuse and Tobacco Prevention/Cessation program provides Dearborn students and parents with the information and skills necessary to make healthy choices about drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Much of the program’s work focuses on the hookah or argileh, a tobacco water-pipe popular among Arab Americans and others.
In addition to tobacco, the program educates local youth and parents on the risks of marijuana, alcohol, and prescription drugs.
The DFC Program is designed to support communities as they work to mobilize individuals and organizations to prevent youth substance use. This year’s funding will begin on Sept. 30, 2021, and expire on Sept. 29, 2022.
“We know that the stress and isolation caused by COVID-19 has led to an increase in the use of dangerous substances among young adults in our community,” said Mona Makki, director of ACCESS’ Community Health and Research Center. “This funding will allow ACCESS to continue providing substance use education and resources to vulnerable populations.
“Thank you to the CDC and ONDCP for this critical funding, which makes ACCESS’s life-saving prevention and treatment services possible. And thank you to Representative Dingell for her continued support and work in the community reducing the stigma of mental illness and substance use.”
“Tackling the substance abuse problem in our local communities requires local solutions,” Dingell said. “This critical DFC funding will help ACCESS continue their important work in preventing youth substance abuse by giving young people the skills and education needed to understand the serious risks of drug and tobacco use.
“I will continue to work with ACCESS and other organizations to address the substance abuse crisis and erase the stigma associated with mental health issues.”