Penn State Gets Grant to Fight Substance Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has granted Penn State University $5.7 million to invest in their continued community development with the goal of making families stronger and helping kids to avoid drug use and addiction.
Penn State’s program is called PROSPER, which stands for PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience. Iowa State is partnering with Penn State in the program and NIDA has awarded them $5.9 million for a grand total of $11.6 million.
The leaders of the PROSPER project in Pennsylvania include Dr. Mark Greenberg, PRC Director; Dr. Mark Feinberg and Dr. Janet Welsh, PRC Research Associates; and Dr. Daniel Perkins and Dr. Claudia Mincemoyer, College of Agricultural Sciences.
Mark Greenberg, a researcher at Penn State and PRC Director, also directs PROSPER. He says, “The rates of youth substance abuse and related problems in both rural and urban areas continue to be high. Although there are now skill-building and family strengthening programs proven to address these problems, they continue to be underutilized. NIDA’s ongoing support for our project is an indication they believe our partnership model is a promising strategy for supporting the long-term, quality delivery of scientifically validated prevention programs.”
Since 2002, in collaboration with Iowa State and through partnerships established with local communities and assisted by Penn State Extension, the Penn State Prevention Research Center (PRC) has been conducting research to promote capable and healthy youths, adults and families. PROSPER seeks to strengthen families and communities, promote positive youth development, and reduce youth substance use and other problem behavior - literally helping families and their communities “prosper” through various intervention methods recommended by Penn State researchers.
PROSPER is impressive: its first phase has reached more than 6000 Pennsylvanian kids in 14 counties and 6000 Iowan kids in 14 communities. Penn State and Iowa State are doing a huge service by reaching these kids before they need drug rehab or Suboxone treatment to break opiate drug addiction.
Daney Jackson is the director of Penn State Cooperative Extension and says, “Children and youth are our nation’s most valuable resource. Unfortunately, a significant number are at risk because of substance use and other social problems. Schools alone can’t solve these complex problems. What can make a difference are partnerships involving university Extension staff, schools, families and other concerned local citizens—like the ones we have established through this program.”
For more information on PROSPER and other action from Penn State, check out their website.
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