For Immediate Release
October 8, 1998
Contact: Melissa Forsythe or Mark Pfeiffer (502) 564-2611
Audio at 800-633-1019

Frankfort, Ky. - "This is something very new to Kentucky, and I think it’s an exciting step forward for Kentucky in the fight against drug abuse," Governor Patton said today as he announced the first round of local communities selected to receive $1.4 million in grants for substance abuse prevention under the Kentucky Incentive Project.

The idea behind the Kentucky Incentive Project is for communities to come together and take a close look at how they’re currently spending the money they receive for prevention programming and develop a community strategy to use the money more effectively.

The grant recipients and first year amounts are: The Ohio County "Together We Care Coalition", $112,393; The Lincoln County School District, $49,437; The Boyd/Greenup County "Champions for a Drug Free Kentucky", $103,327; The Bell County Board of Education, $107,522; The Western Kentucky K.I.P. Project, $144,000; Champions for a Drug-Free Bourbon and Harrison Counties, $74,750; The Henderson "Offering a Promising Environment", $141,587; The Central Kentucky Community of Champions in Taylor and Green Counties, $108,000; The Bardstown-Nelson County Community Prevention Project, $91,657; and Scott Countians Against Drugs, $102,516. One statewide grant of $51,181 was awarded to the Administrative Office of the Courts to target areas in Fayette, Jefferson and Warren Counties.

The grant awards are for three years of funding, but the programs will be reviewed each year for effectiveness to determine if they receive the money for the subsequent years. Communities that applied for grants this year but were not selected can reapply along with other communities for a second round of grants next year.

In awarding the grants today, Governor Patton said, "These communities have proposed significant advancement in their substance abuse prevention programming and are taking the steps necessary to identify ineffective prevention strategies and replace them with ones proven more effective. The bottom line is that these communities appear most ready to begin to reduce drug use among our children."

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