The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education have partnered to fund a new initiative targeting early, upstream prevention to reduce the risk factors that lead to substance misuse in general and opioids in particular.

As a result of the Opioid Misuse Prevention Project (OMPP) Funding Announcement, five projects have been funded:

• Lancaster General Hospital (Lancaster County)
• Community Health Challenge of SW PA-Keystone Wellness Programs (Beaver County)
• Raiders Promise-Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc. (Schuylkill County)
• Early Prevention in Connellsville Communities (EPICC)-Fayette County D&A Commission (Fayette County) 
• Family Services of NW PA (Erie County)

Lead agencies, with local school districts, Single County Authorities, coalitions, and non-profits as project partners, are receiving five (5) years of funding to implement a dynamic public health campaign which includes the following components:

The implementation of the evidence-based prevention programs LifeSkills Training (LST) and Strengthening Families Program For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14), the delivery of the Communities That Care Social Development Strategy (SDS), and the proliferation of the primary prevention PA Start messaging.