CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) was recently awarded $1 million by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to continue substance use prevention efforts nationwide. The grant will fund a project training five coalitions in underserved communities to explore the best practices for screening brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to reduce underage drinking in their communities and to share those best practices with thousands of coalitions across the country.
“We are excited to receive the grant from The Hilton Foundation and are eager to begin working to improve SBIRT implementation,” said Arthur T. Dean, chairman and CEO of CADCA. “If we can provide communities with the most effective tools and resources at their disposal, we can make a real impact on preventing underage drinking in America.”
The long-term health risks, including affecting brain development and growth, associated with underage drinking is a key concern in the substance abuse field as instances of driving under the influence, alcohol poisoning, and binge drinking are increasing among youth. While universal prevention efforts are effective; CADCA recognizes that there is also a need for integrating risk reduction approaches with adolescent populations.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (САМСА), SBIRT is designed as a prevention approach to reduce and stop the trajectory towards substance use disorders. A major challenge within the country is the adoption of the universal practice of adolescent SBIRT in healthcare and other community settings, especially in underserved local communities. CADCA is partnering with the Hilton Foundation to train five coalitions to discover best practices, create tools and promote policies that will help communities effectively partner with healthcare agencies to integrate SBIRT services alongside other prevention strategies. CADCA will receive $500,000 per year over the course of two years to implement and execute the program.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with CADCA in our efforts to increase implementation of SBIRT across the country,” said Peter Laugharn, president and CEO for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. “We have confidence that CADCA can provide the tools to increase implementation of the SBIRT model and ultimately help prevent youth substance use.”
About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping young children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering. In 2016, the Humanitarian Prize was awarded to The Task Force for Global Health, an international, nonprofit organization that works to improve health of people most in need, primarily in developing countries. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 billion in grants, distributing $109 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2016. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.6 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.
