November 15, 2004

Boise State Receives Major Federal Grant to Address Substance Abuse Prevention Among Young Workers

On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced 13 grants totaling $4 million in the first two years to provide substance abuse prevention programs for youth ages 16-24 who are transitioning into the workplace. Boise State University is the only higher education institution among the organizations to receive a grant award. Boise State's Center for Health Policy will partner with the Idaho Small Business Development Center and DrugFree Idaho Inc. to develop and evaluate innovative intervention strategies for employed young people ages 16-24. The total funding to the Center for Health Policy for this program is expected to be $1.8 million. Boise State will receive $150,000 a year for two years in Phase I, the development phase of the program. Following Phase I Boise State expects to receive an additional $1.5 million in Phase II, the three-year implementation and evaluation phase. "President Bush is urging us to emphasize [substance abuse] prevention in schools and workplaces," Secretary Thompson said. "Prevention programs like this one can dramatically reduce the number of people caught in the web of addiction and will help more Americans live better lives." "Drug prevention in the workplace is important to occupational health and safety and can impact the productivity of business enterprises in Idaho significantly," said Uwe Reischl, Ph.D., M.D., professor of health sciences at Boise State and director of the Center for Health Policy. "We are honored to receive the support from Secretary Thompson. The grant will allow us to contribute to an important national youth health program." The Center for Health Policy is a research unit within the College of Health Sciences at Boise State. The Center conducts public health research and provides scientific support for the development of innovative health policy in Idaho. For more information about the substance abuse prevention grants, link to the Substance Abuse and mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Web site at http://162.99.3.50/news/newsreleases/041109nr_youth_workers.htm. -30- Contact: Dr. Uwe Reischl, Center for Health Policy, (208) 426-2445, ureischl@boisestate.edu  Media Contacts: Pat Pyke, communications and marketing, (208) 426-1987, ppyke@boisestate.edu  Leah Young, SAMHSA, (240) 276-2130