Coalition against substance abuse gets new leader

From left Police Chief Michael Allen, drug-free coalition coordinator Molly Martuscello and City Manager Daniel Fitzpatrick. (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - The city of Rochester is the new fiscal agent for the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Grant that funds Bridging the Gaps: The Rochester Community Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Prevention. The City of Rochester has been in the process of becoming the new fiscal agent for Bridging the Gaps after it was approved by the City Council in January.

It was finalized in May, when the City received a "Notice of Award" from the DFC Support program releasing funding to them. The DFC Support Program is a federal grant program that provides funding to community-based coalitions that organize to prevent youth substance use.

Bridging the Gaps has been a DFC grantee since 2008 and is now in its 7^th year of the 10-year grant cycle. The city has hired Molly Martuscello as the new Coalition Coordinator. Martuscello is a graduate of Bryant University with her Bachelors degree in Business Administration. She has most recently worked for the Dover Coalition for Youth, a successful 10-year DFC grantee, as a program specialist for 5 years. She has a lot of knowledge about substance abuse issues in the area, and is currently working on becoming a certified prevention specialist, "I have been involved with drug-prevention since I was 12 years old. It is always been my passion, and I'm thrilled to have it be a part of my career."

This announcement comes jointly from the office of the City Manager Daniel Fitzpatrick and Police Chief Michael Allen. Allen was an advocate for the city to take over the fiscal agency of the coalition, "This is a great opportunity for the city to inject new energy into the Coalition as it works with community leaders, organizations and the public to provide a host of prevention activities to help our youth. It is a natural fit for a partnership because the coalition's mission aligns nicely with the Police Department's strategic plan." said Allen.

Martuscello plans to further establish and strengthen the collaboration among the community efforts to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth by refocusing the community on the drug problem. "I am extremely excited to get started here in Rochester. Bridging the Gaps has a lot of ties to community members and it is important to use those connections to establish strong prevention messages."

Martuscello is looking forward to convening the coalition in the coming weeks, "As a part of our grant, we have 12 sector representatives from the community that serve as gateways to individuals." This includes representatives from law enforcement, schools, hospitals, business, substance abuse organizations, and more.

Bridging the Gaps also has projects planned to include the continuation and support of the Rochester Youth to Youth middle and high school youth empowerment teams. In addition, Martuscello will be implementing new environmental prevention programs on topics such as underage drinking, marijuana, and prescription drugs that will raise awareness to community members in an effort to decrease access and use among youth.

"We are excited to have Molly onboard. She is a great asset to this program and the city. The Police Department looks forward to working jointly with the coalition on upcoming drug-prevention initiatives," said Allen.

Fitzpatrick added, "Substance abuse is a major public health problem for our society. This program provides a good vehicle to address the issue in youth before it gets control of a person's life."

For more info or to get involved with Bridging the Gaps contact Martuscello at molly.martuscello@rochesternh.net or 603-330-7160.