McClellan Announces $125,000 for Local Community Coalition Working to Prevent Youth Substance Use in Virginia

Richmond, VA – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) announced the Henrico Too Smart 2 Start Coalition has been awarded $125,000 by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to help address the nation’s overdose epidemic and prevent youth substance use. 

“We must do more to address our nation’s overdose epidemic and provide our youth with the resources they need to prevent substance use,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “As a mother to two children, I commend the Biden-Harris Administration for their ongoing efforts to address these crises and welcome today’s funding announcement. Henrico Too Smart 2 Start Coalition does invaluable work to prevent youth substance use in Virginia’s Fourth. I will continue working at the federal level to combat the overdose epidemic and protect our children.” 

“The Biden-Harris Administration has made supporting our nation’s youth and strengthening their well-being a top priority in our whole-of-society efforts to address the overdose epidemic,” said ONDCP Director Dr. Rahul Gupta. “This new funding, awarded through our Drug-Free Communities Support Program, will help local coalitions in states like Virginia prevent youth substance use in their communities.”

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program, created by the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997, is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Directed and funded by ONDCP, in partnership with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the DFC Program provides grants to community-based coalitions to address youth substance use, implement evidence-based prevention locally, and ultimately, save lives. 

Over the past four years, the Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments to strengthen local youth prevention efforts and public awareness campaigns on the dangers of illicit fentanyl and the life-saving effects of naloxone. To further strengthen the Administration’s whole-of-society efforts to address the nation’s overdose epidemic, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Dr. Guptasent a letter calling on schools and educators across the country to implement evidence-based youth substance use prevention measures and have opioid overdose reversal agents like naloxone on site and ensure their students and faculty are prepared to use it to save lives in the event of drug poisoning.