TEAM Fort Collins Receives Grant to Expand Prevention Services

Team Fort Collins has been selected by the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) to receive the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework Grant. The Colorado OBH identified 6 at-risk communities throughout the Colorado Front Range to receive grant funding. Larimer County was identified as one of these at-risk communities. OBH then selected one prevention organization in each community to receive the funding through a competitive process. The grant requires that organizations assess their prevention needs based on epidemiological data, build prevention capacity, develop a strategic plan, implement effective community prevention programs, policies and practices and evaluate the outcomes of these efforts. The grant equates to approximately $650,000 over a 4 year period.

To effectively reach all of Larimer County and serve the entire community as identified by the grant, Team Fort Collins will be changing its name to TEAM Wellness & Prevention. TEAM Wellness & Prevention has already begun pilot programs in the Loveland, Berthoud and Wellington areas in addition to the expansion of program offerings in Fort Collins. In addition, TEAM has recently fostered a community partnership with McWhinney which will include a Loveland chapter of TEAM and a physical presence in the Loveland community to compliment TEAM’s presence in Fort Collins. The formal transition of Team Fort Collins to TEAM Wellness & Prevention will be celebrated at TEAM’s annual FUN-raiser, Simply Red on February 5, 2016 at the Fort Collins Hilton.

“It is an honor to be selected by the State of Colorado for this grant. I not only allows us to expand our work beyond the Fort Collins area, it also serves to validate the success of the work we are doing in the community.” Gordon Coombes-Executive Director

About the Team Fort Collins/TEAM Wellness & Prevention
Mission Statement: Team Fort Collins is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles through the prevention of substance abuse.

Team Fort Collins has been providing alcohol and drug prevention services to the Fort Collins community since 1989. Team Fort Collins provides prevention education to middle and high school students, makes presentations for parents on topics related to youth substance use, convenes community groups, provides opportunities for youth activities in safe, substance-free environments, and is available as a community partner. We favor a developmental approach for addressing youth substance use. In doing so, we recognize the importance of adolescents’ inclination toward taking risks and we promote a formula of prevention that provides opportunities for youth to satisfy needs without compromising their future.

It is Team Fort Collins’ philosophy that prevention is the job of the entire community and we enjoy the responsibility for coordinating these efforts. To the extent that parents, schools, businesses, law enforcement, community leaders, and religious organizations are consistent in the message for health and in providing a safe environment to nurture youth, Fort Collins’ youth are more likely to claim a future of well-being.

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