Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
Gardiner Area Substance Misuse Prevention - Gardiner Area Thrives - Gardiner Area Thrives (GAT) serves the four towns that send students to three community level elementary schools, a regional middle school, and the area high school, that comprise the school system, Maine School Administrative District #11 (MSAD#11); Gardiner, Pittston, Randolph, and West Gardiner in southern Kennebec County, Maine. The coalition bases its activities on local conditions and local youth substance use data. That data is collected through the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS), administered to most school districts in Maine at grades 5 and 6; middle school grades 7 and 8, and all high school grades every other year. The spring 2023 selfreported MIYHS survey responses for Gardiner Area High School (GAHS) indicate local past 30-day use rates are higher than state rates for marijuana, alcohol and tobacco use, as well as higher than the 2021 results with the exception of smoked tobacco. The spring 2023 MIYHS survey responses for Gardiner Regional Middle School (GRMS) also show rates of marijuana, alcohol and tobacco use are higher than state levels, and higher than 2021 results. Of particular concern is a marked increase of marijuana use among 7th and 8th grade respondents at GRMS. Students also reported a low assessment of the risk and harm of marijuana. The younger students assess higher risk of harm than older students, particularly by grade 12. This may represent opportunities to intervene at an earlier age with education as well as across levels. The MIYHS results also revealed lower rates of perception of mattering to their communities, along with higher rates of depression and suicidality at both levels. Gardiner Area Thrives activities with Drug Free Communities Coalition support in the first year of funding for the year 6-10 award are to: • Expand members and partners of the coalition and increase outreach to the general public to increase collaboration and reduce underage substance use • Increase youth resilience and thriving, including among those who identify as LGBGTQ+, by implementing the programs Sources of Strength in schools, and the Maine Youth Thriving Guide: A Guide for Community Action developed by Maine Resilience Building Network (MRBN) in the community • Increase community-based alternatives for middle and high school age youth that are drug-free, and increase opportunities to engage in adult-youth mentoring. • Reduce past 30 day use of alcohol by engaging parents to talk with youth, using Talk They Hear You! and Red Ribbon Week evidence-based programs. • Reduce marijuana use though increased understanding of the risks and harms of marijuana use, especially use by youth as perceptions of risk and harm have been skewed by 25 years of advocacy and changes to legalize the two legal marijuana markets in Maine.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).