The Vermont Health Department is getting a $10 million grant to help combat substance abuse among young people.
The five-year federal grant will be used to help identify, reduce and prevent alcohol and illicit drug dependence and abuse through early screening and intervention.
The project is focused on people between 18 and 25, who have lower incomes, less formal education, who are less likely to access behavioral health services, and have a high rate of alcohol and drug abuse.
Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen says that acting on early warning signs of addiction, before it becomes a life-long problem, is a core mission of public health.
He says the grant will enable the Health Department to help 18,000 people a year who might not otherwise have received help.
