YUMADAOP hosts luncheon to discuss drug-abuse prevention

YOUNGSTOWN — Members of the Coalition for Health Promotion gathered for a luncheon this afternoon at the Soap Gallery to discuss strategies for youth-addiction prevention.

The coalition, which received a Drug-Free Communities grant in October 2017, is comprised of local organizations working to prevent and reduce youth substance use and abuse.

“We are trying to get people together who area already working in the community so we can talk to each other about what’s already being done,” said Takiyah Anderson, project director at Youngstown Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program (YUMADAOP).

The Drug-Free Communities Program, which is housed in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, requires that grantee coalitions have “communitywide involvement.” That stipulation was reflected in the composition of the room, which included elected officials, law enforcement, youth organizations, health groups and education leaders.

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