Published January 22, 2020
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The town’s fight against substance abuse has received an added boost.
Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator Peg Sallade informed the Board of Selectmen on Jan. 14 that the federal government has awarded the town the highly coveted $625,000 Drug-Free Communities Support Program (DFC) Grant.
“The town will be receiving $125,000 a year for five years,” said Sallade. “It’s renewable annually and after five years, you can reapply with a competitive bid and perhaps receive another five years. We could receive up to 10 years of funding.”
Sallade noted the town was not among the original grant recipients when the Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSPA) announced the first round of grant winners last October.
“In December, the federal government released more funds and funded an additional 42 communities nationally,” said Sallade. “Lynnfield was among the communities who received funding during the second round. We are quite honored as a community to have this funding to continue substance use prevention work. We are going to continue partnering with all of the agencies in the community that care about kids because they are the ones who are going to benefit from this funding.”
Sallade said the DFC Grant will enable the town to hire a full-time DFC project coordinator. She said the grant will also seek to address issues that the town’s substance abuse coalition, A Healthy Lynnfield, has identified.
“A Healthy Lynnfield will work to decrease the misuse of alcohol and electronic vaping product use among youth under the age of 18 by implementing a comprehensive mix of evidence-based programs that address behaviors that lead to the initiation or progression of use,” said Sallade. “The primary goals of A Healthy Lynnfield include reducing substance use among youth by addressing the factors in Lynnfield that increase the risk of substance misuse and promoting factors that minimize the risk of substance use.”
Sallade also said A Healthy Lynnfield will seek to “establish and strengthen collaboration among community partners to reduce youth substance use.”
In addition to the $625,000 DFC Grant, Sallade informed the Villager that A Healthy Lynnfield has been awarded $472,852 in grants in fiscal year 2020. She said the town received the $275,000 Partnerships for Success Federal SAMHSA/CSAP Grant, which is also for five years. She said the FY20 state budget included a $50,000 substance abuse grant. A similar state budget grant was funded in FY19, which was used to hire Sallade.
Aside from the two federal grants and the state grant A Healthy Lynnfield has received in FY20, Sallade also noted the coalition was awarded a $13,000 grant from the North Shore Community Health Network, an $8,602 Lahey Burlington Community Impact Grant, a $750 SAMHSA Underage Drinking Initiatives Mini-Grant and a $500 grant from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
“The initial investment from the state had a huge payoff by allowing A Healthy Lynnfield to seek additional grant funding,” said Sallade. “We thank Sen. Brendan Crighton and House Minority Leader Brad Jones for their support. This would not have happened without the initial funds to seed the program. We also thank our many community donors who have contributed. Grant funds are restrictive, so community donations through our 501(c)(3) allow us to fund additional programs that are not covered under federal grants.”
Sallade said A Healthy Lynnfield will be hosting confidential focus groups with the parents of Lynnfield Middle School and Lynnfield High School students on Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Thursday, Jan. 30, taking place from 6-8 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield. Parents are required to register for the focus groups.
“We are looking for parents to provide input on our programming,” said Sallade.
Sallade also said A Healthy Lynnfield has two community presentations scheduled for later this year. She said Dr. Kevin Hill will be discussing his book “Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth About the World’s Most Popular Weed” in March. She said author Charlie Appelstein will be giving a presentation on the topic “There is No Such Thing as A Bad Kid.”
“We are very excited that we have the resources to support the work we are doing across the community,” said Sallade. “We are full speed ahead.”
“Beyond impressive”
Board of Selectmen Chairman Phil Crawford, who serves as A Healthy Lynnfield’s chairman, was thrilled the coalition received the DFC Grant.
“You are not only one of the top authorities in this field on the North Shore, you are also one of the best grant writers on the North Shore,” said Crawford. “A lot of people don’t have that skill set. Being able to get these large grants on the first try is great. The funding that we now have and the ability to offer programming is exactly where this coalition was headed. We are really going to be able to start pushing this forward in our third year and making a difference in the community. Thank you for everything that you have done. It is very much appreciated.”
Selectman Chris Barrett said the work Crawford has done with A Healthy Lynnfield and the work Selectman Dick Dalton has accomplished with the Think of Michael Foundation are making a positive impact in the community.
“It’s beyond impressive,” said Barrett. “The town should be very proud.”
In a phone interview with the Villager, Dalton said he was thrilled the town received the DFC Grant. He thanked Crawford for getting A Healthy Lynnfield started and the town’s legislative delegation for supporting Lynnfield’s fight against substance abuse.
“The town is now in the position to offer some of the best programming available,” said Dalton.
