Over $600 Thousand SAMHSA grant awarded to nine service providers in the FSM

On September 4, 2014, Dr. Vita A. Skilling, Secretary of the Federated States of Micronesia  Department of Health and Social Affairs, approved the use of the $644,178 Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block grant to nine applicants to provide prevention and treatment services on substance use throughout the FSM states as recommended by the FSM Behavioral Health and Wellness Advisory Council.

From August 29th to September 3rd, the FSM Behavioral Health and Wellness Advisory Council met in Kosrae State to review and hear justifications from the applicants regarding their funding proposals. More than twenty percent of the grant was awarded to four Non-Government Agencies to provide drug prevention programs and the rest of the grant was designated to the National and State Behavioral Health and Wellness programs to provide treatment counseling, community prevention and administrative services.

The United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awards to FSM this type of grant every year to prevent the risks of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs that cause social problems, diseases, harm, injuries and death. The SAPT Block grant will be available from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015.

For inquiry, call the Department at 320-2619 or email Mr. Kerio Walliby via kwalliby@fsmhealth.fm.