Ketchikan Wellness Coalition receives $3.75 million youth drug prevention grant

The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition was awarded a federal grant to combat the rising rates of teen drug use in Ketchikan. The grant is called a Strategic Prevention Framework grant. It promises $375,000 a year for the next 10 years with the intent of reaching youth in the community before they reach addiction. 

Jackie Yates is the coalition’s executive director. She says they will hire three new staff members with the grant money. Yates says they hope to build new youth mentorship and leadership programs reaching all the way into the elementary school years. 

“So, we create this chain for the youth to see what it’s like to be involved in the community at a very young age. It was a big part of my upbringing. To know there’s an element of community obligation, right? A sense of purpose within the community,” Yates said. “You have this purpose; you have this voice in the community. It was instilled in me at a very young age and how could we create this as a community as a whole, so everyone feels a sense of purpose for the community.

The coalition has partnered with organizations across the city including Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District and Ketchikan Indian Community, as well as the Ketchikan Police Department on drug takebacks and what Yates calls “positive ticketing.” 

“I don’t know if anyone remembers when you were a kid, or just a community member and maybe you’re wearing your helmet riding your bike and you used to get a free ice cream cone from the police department? That’s positive ticketing. We want to amp it up a notch and maybe give out movie tickets or coffee for people who are doing things within the community. I’m really excited about just reinforcing positive behavior within the community,” Yates explained.

The grant is specifically focused on primary prevention – stopping drug use before it starts. Yates says that has a significantly higher rate of success than after someone’s already addicted. But she says that the coalition will continue to offer services to all members of the community suffering from addiction.