Hernando County, Fla. – The Hernando County Community Anti-Drug Coalition, or HCCADC, has been hailed by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America as a “Coalition of Excellence” with its efforts and accomplishments in hindering the spread of drug and alcohol use among the county’s youth.
Since 2008 the HCCADC has been at work spreading awareness and taking preventative measures against substance abuse. In the years between 2008 and 2014, The Coalition had seen a drop in middle school students’ use of substances from 16% to 8%, and high school students from 42.3% down to 29.3%.
The HCCADC is built on a vast network of groups such as the Hernando County School system, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Brooksville Police Department, the YMCA, BayCare Behavioral Health, the Crescent Community Clinic, Westbridge, and many others, all brought together to carry out plans that promote health and safety in Hernando County. The coalition has enacted such programs as the “Friday Night Done Right” campaign with school Resource Officers to encourage students to stay away from substances. The agency has also worked with the Brooksville Police Department and others for the “Responsible Vendor Training” class, which teaches local alcohol vendors how to keep it out of the hands of minors.
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, or CADCA, is a national organization that represents over 5,000 coalitions and affiliates working to make America’s communities safe and healthy. Their goal is to support community coalitions by providing technical training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events.
To be chosen as Coalition of the Year as per the GOT OUTCOMES! Coalition of Excellence Award program, the select group must have successfully carried out multiple specially crafted plans leading to the community-level reduction of substance use/abuse rates. CADCA believes that the Hernando County coalition partners have achieved those merits.
The agency was awarded the Coalition of the Year award at the Coalitions of America’s 2016 National Leadership Forum on Feb. 4 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center of National Harbor, Md. “The national award is the highest of honors for the work we do, and we couldn’t be prouder,” explains Tresa Watson, Executive Director of the Coalition.