Contact: Steven Gray, Collegiate Program Coordinator         
Email: Steven.Gray@dhs.arkansas.gov

Contact: Lynetta Dickerson, SABG Program Coordinator      
Email: Lynetta.Dickerson@dhs.arkansas.gov

SABG program’s objective is to help plan, implement, and evaluate activities that prevent and treat substance abuse. SAMHSA requires that grantees spend no less than 20% of their SABG allotment on substance abuse primary prevention strategies. Arkansas is divided into 13 regional catchment areas covering the entire state. Each regional representative provides substance abuse education and programs for their assigned region. We contract a lot of these services for this program through UALR Mid-South, who oversees the subcontracting and coordination as we outlined in the grant. It includes school and community programs.

• Save AR Students – Save AR Students is a weeklong awareness campaign directed towards education and prevention of substance abuse throughout all institutions of higher education in the State of Arkansas. Save AR Students happens twice a year — Spring and Fall — the week following up to Arkansas Drug Take Back Day. Save AR Students Week is commenced with a kickoff that invites students, institution administrators & faculty, mascots, and state & local officials to rally in Little Rock, Arkansas on the steps of the State Capitol. The kickoff provides the public with an opportunity to witness testimonies and stories from community members impacted by substance, which provide perspectives and experiences that need to be considered in the work towards curtailing substance misuse.
• Substance Abuse Block Grant Technical Assistance – Arkansas Prevention has been allocating the named funds to provide technical assistance and for training purposes. This funding is used to provide access to nationally recognized prevention-focused conferences and the provision of multiple in-state technical assistance training sessions regarding emergent topics/trends in the field of prevention science both in the state and nationally. SABG-TA is also used provide supports to the Arkansas Prevention Certification Board (APCB) that assist the board in its mission to increase the number of prevention-certified professionals working in Arkansas.

• Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement Appropriations Act, 2021 [P.L. 116-260] appropriated an additional $1.65 billion to states through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) program to assist in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific language in the Act states: Provided further, That with respect to the amount appropriated under this heading in this Act the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shall maintain the 20 percent set-aside for prevention, but may waive requirements with respect to allowable activities, timelines, or reporting requirements for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant as deemed necessary to facilitate a grantee’s response to coronavirus: Provided further, That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The SABG program is designed to provide funds to States, Territories, and one Indian Tribe for the purpose of planning, implementing, and evaluating activities to prevent and treat substance use disorder (SUD). States may use this supplemental COVID-19 Relief funding to: (1) promote effective planning, monitoring, and oversight of efforts to deliver SUD prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery services; (2) promote support for providers; (3) maximize efficiency by leveraging the current infrastructure and capacity; and (4) address local SUD related needs during the COVID pandemic. SAMHSA requested the following information to be included in submitting the SABG -COVID-19 supplemental funding plan proposal. Arkansas received $12,676,621.00; this award period is from 3/15/2021 – 3/14/2023.
  
• Me Over Meth – This project will undertake development of a methamphetamine prevention toolkit, creation of a statewide public information campaign, and coordination of trainings and conferences that will bring national experts and best-practices to prevention professionals in the state of Arkansas.