HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will administer the grants.

The funds will be used to implement a five-step process known to promote youth development, reduce risk-taking behaviors, build on assets, and prevent problem behaviors. The five steps are: (1) conduct needs assessments; (2) build state and local capacity; (3) develop a comprehensive strategic plan; (4) implement evidence-based prevention policies, programs and practices; and (5) monitor and evaluate program effectiveness, sustaining what has worked well.

"Our goal at HHS is to help all Americans improve the quality of their own life by making choices that lead to healthier, longer lives," Secretary Thompson said. "That means making the right choices about what to eat, to exercise, to not smoke or use drugs, which is really about reducing those risks over which people have a choice. These grants are designed to help communities create programs to help people as they face these issues."

SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said, "These new grants are built on a community-based risk and protective factors approach to prevention. For example, family conflict, low school readiness, and poor social skills increase the risk for conduct disorders and depression, which in turn increase the risk for adolescent substance abuse, delinquency, and violence. Protective factors such as strong family bonds, social skills, opportunities for school success, and involvement in community activities can foster resilience and mitigate the influence of risk factors. The grant will bring together multiple funding streams from multiple sources to implement a comprehensive approach to prevention that cuts across existing programs and systems."

These grants will allow the programs to provide leadership, technical support and monitoring to ensure that participating communities are successful. The success of the grants will be measured by specific measurable outcomes, among them: abstinence from drug use and alcohol abuse, reduction in substance abuse-related crime, attainment of employment or enrollment in school, increased stability in family and living conditions, increased access to services, and increased social connectedness.

Each state grantee will receive $2.35 million per year for five years. Guam will receive $996,000 per year for all five years and Palau will receive $420,000 per year for all five years.

Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive grants awarded this year are:

Arizona -- The Arizona Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families, in partnership with other state agencies, including the Department of Health Services, will develop a comprehensive, integrated statewide substance abuse Arizona Strategic Prevention Framework resulting in data-driven, community- based prevention activities for Arizona's highest risk youth and families.

Colorado -- The Colorado Prevention Partners for Sustainable Change project will implement the grant to further state interagency efforts; develop and deploy needed prevention systems; address identified service gaps and policy needs; and build infrastructure at the state and community levels that, together, lead to more efficient and effective resource utilization for substance abuse problems and related issues.

Connecticut -- Connecticut's Strategic Prevention Framework Initiative will develop a comprehensive prevention strategy for delivering and implementing effective substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion services that will serve as a blueprint for state and community partners.

Florida -- The Florida Strategic Prevention Alliance will complete the development of integrated state and community-level strategic processes. Both levels will be supported with the assistance of epidemiology, community readiness, resource assessment, strategic planning and organizational development resources for evidence-based programming, and a Web-based performance data system that tracks both coalition and program activities.

Guam -- Guam will utilize the grant to develop a substance abuse prevention network that links a state-level advisory committee with community- based prevention mentors. Science-based programs will be adapted and evaluated for local application following the Strategic Prevention Framework process, and will cover the entire Territory of Guam.

Illinois -- The Illinois Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant will provide an opportunity for state leaders to stand with community leaders and members to remove barriers and build capacity for effective, efficient and relevant substance abuse prevention efforts.

Kentucky -- Kentucky's Strategic Prevention Framework Incentive Grant project will build a data-driven, comprehensive, interagency prevention service system to reduce substance abuse and its related problems. The state will make extensive use of geographic information system (GIS) technology to focus community goal setting and enable targeted resource allocation.

Louisiana -- The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant will result in the development of a system that coordinates planning, funding, and evaluation for substance abuse prevention at all levels, from service providers to state agency heads, in order to support the implementation of evidence-based, culturally appropriate and cost-effective prevention services in all Louisiana parishes.

New Mexico -- The New Mexico Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive grant will reduce substance abuse among youth, families, and adults by reducing risk and increasing protective factors in individuals, schools, families, neighborhoods, and communities throughout New Mexico through an extensive statewide needs assessment, the creation of a New Mexico Comprehensive Strategic Plan for Prevention, and implementation of substance abuse prevention activities.

Maine -- Maine's Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant will build a statewide data-driven prevention infrastructure that provides common tools and supports for prevention and health promotion programs.

Michigan -- The Michigan Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant will support and enhance efforts to identify, coordinate and leverage resources to address prevention challenges. A crosscutting theme in this effort will be enhancing the effectiveness of prevention services through the increased use of evidence-based strategic planning models and intervention strategies.

Missouri -- The Missouri Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant will build on the efforts initiated under the Governor's Prevention Initiative to establish a sustainable, data-driven, culturally competent, evidence-based substance abuse prevention infrastructure supported through state policies and reflective of local needs and priorities.

Nevada -- Nevada's Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant is designed to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of substance abuse, including childhood and underage drinking; reduce substance abuse-related problems in communities; and build prevention capacity and infrastructure at the state and community levels.

New Hampshire -- The New Hampshire Strategic Prevention Framework Program will reduce substance abuse-related problems in communities by transforming the state system to one that continuously uses the five steps of the Strategic Prevention Framework to deliver appropriate and effective prevention services to prevent abuse of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.

Palau -- Palau's Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant program will reach out to communities to enlist their support for the shared development of a strategic prevention framework based on sound prevention principles and Palauan culture and strengths. Palau plans to provide and facilitate training for targeted communities on strategic incentive grant principles, all steps of the framework -- including community readiness, data resources, evaluation, strategic planning, risk/protective factors and model programs.

Rhode Island -- Rhode Island's program is a broad public/private initiative designed to enhanced infrastructure and will be aimed at preventing the onset and reducing the progression of substance abuse, including childhood and underage drinking. Particular attention will be directed toward eighth graders, underage drinking and ethnic minorities.

Tennessee -- Tennessee's Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant will use a data-based problem-solving within a systems change model and provide the framework and resources for state government and communities to partner effectively to target scarce resources and build capacity, making each more effective in their efforts to prevent substance use across the lifespan.

Texas -- The Texas Strategic Prevention Framework will strengthen the prevention infrastructure to develop and coordinate a statewide strategy to prevent substance abuse and related problem behaviors by building on the existing infrastructure of the Drug Demand Reduction Advisory Committee.

Washington -- Washington State's Strategic Prevention Framework will provide the resources necessary to enhance existing assessment processes, implement and evaluate evidence-based strategies to address critical needs based on epidemiological data, and establish reporting procedures that track progress toward preventing substance abuse and related problems, including mental illness, delinquency and violence.

West Virginia -- West Virginia will use the grant to complete and implement a comprehensive system that will allow the state to: 1) better coordinate alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention funding; 2) improve the overall quality of prevention programs and the state's prevention workforce; and 3) increase the availability of prevention services to communities statewide.

Wyoming -- Wyoming will establish a State Epidemiological Workgroup and a Regional Community Coordinator System; implement evidence-based prevention programs in communities; modify programs, policies, practices, and strategic plans based on the annual collection of data; and develop a data-driven decision making framework to address program sustainability, effectiveness and funding issues.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.