Since 2006, Rushford has received grants from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to organize community coalitions in Middletown and Meriden utilizing SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) process.
Underage Drinking Community Coalitions
Since 2006, Rushford has received grants from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to organize community coalitions in Middletown and Meriden utilizing SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) process. Rushford staff is working with community leaders in both communities to build effective collaborations that address the causal factors of underage drinking and to develop environmental strategies aimed at educating parents, caregivers and youth on the risks and consequences of underage drinking.
For a document list of members of the Middletown Prevention Coalition (MPC), please click here. For more information please contact Megan Albanese at 203.268.6800 or by email.
Success achieved in Meriden in reducing underage drinking led to receiving a $625,000 federal Drug Free Communities grant to continue to address youth alcohol use as well as youth marijuana and prescription drug misuse. For the Meriden Healthy Youth Coalition document, please click here. For more information please contact Megan Albanese at 203.268.6800 or by email.
The Problem of Underage Drinking in Connecticut
Underage drinking continues to be one of the leading health risks for Connecticut's youth. Young people in Connecticut report that alcohol is extremely easy to obtain from friends, parents, other adults and sales outlets, even though it is illegal to sell or provide it for them. As community members, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to change this fact. The age of initiation of alcohol use for youth in Connecticut is 11 years old, two years earlier than the national average.
Resources for Parents, Teens and Community Members