GCSAC FY2026 CARA Local Drug Crises Grant - The Graham County Substance Abuse Coalition (GCSAC) seeks funding through the FY2026 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Local Drug Crises Grant Program to strengthen and expand community-based prevention efforts addressing opioid, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse among youth in Graham County, Arizona. Building upon a successful ten-year Drug-Free Communities (DFC) initiative, GCSAC will leverage established partnerships, proven prevention strategies, and strong community engagement to address emerging substance use challenges while strengthening sustainable, community-led prevention infrastructure. Serving a rural county of approximately 40,000 residents, GCSAC collaborates with schools, law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, youth-serving organizations, recovery partners, tribal communities, parents, and community leaders to reduce youth substance use and promote healthy, drug-free lifestyles. Through previous DFC funding, the coalition strengthened prevention capacity throughout Graham County, expanded youth engagement, implemented environmental prevention strategies, and supported measurable reductions in youth substance use indicators. CARA funding will support the expansion of youth leadership opportunities through the establishment of a Youth Leadership Council and increased peer-to-peer prevention activities. The project will strengthen community ownership of prevention efforts by enhancing the capacity and sustainability of the coalition's Youth, Addiction and Recovery, and Law Enforcement subcommittees while increasing participation from community partners across multiple sectors. Project activities will include youth-led prevention education, implementation of the annual Graham County Youth Symposium, community awareness campaigns addressing opioid, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse, parent education activities, medication safety initiatives, and environmental prevention strategies designed to reduce youth access to substances and influence community norms regarding substance misuse. The coalition will also expand overdose prevention efforts through naloxone education, community distribution programs, and partnerships with local law enforcement, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Through youth engagement, environmental prevention strategies, coalition capacity building, community education, overdose prevention, and medication safety initiatives, GCSAC will strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, and create sustainable community-level change. The project will increase youth participation in prevention leadership, strengthen community coordination, expand implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies, and contribute to long-term reductions in youth prescription drug misuse and other substance use behaviors. The proposed project directly supports CARA's goal of reducing opioid, methamphetamine, and prescription drug misuse among youth while strengthening the community systems necessary to sustain prevention efforts beyond the grant period.
