Decatur, GA — The Decatur Prevention Initiative received a Blue Ribbon Award from the White House at the National Youth Substance Use Prevention Summit on Oct. 30.

DPI was invited to Washington, D.C., and recognized for its work to prevent youth substance use and ensure young people can lead healthy and fulfilling lives, according to a press release.

“Drug-Free Community Coalitions are an essential part of our whole-of-society efforts to address the overdose epidemic and save lives,” said White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta. “The Biden-Harris Administration has made supporting the nation’s youth and their well-being a top priority, and made historic investments to strengthen substance use prevention. I am grateful to the Blue Ribbon Coalitions awardees, like Decatur Prevention Initiative, who are leading the way in expanding critical evidence-based prevention efforts and addressing youth substance use so that all young Americans can live healthy and fulfilling lives.”

DPI was one of 15 drug-free community coalitions from across that nation that received a Blue Ribbon Award, which recognizes high-performing coalitions that do an exceptional job of creating a foundation for their work by updating and utilizing their coalition products. The two-year recognition provides opportunities for coalitions to share their work in the prevention field.

This is the second time the Decatur Prevention Initiative has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon Coalition. The award was presented to DPI Executive Director, Terrie Moore and Susan Morley, an implementation specialist with DPI. This award was made possible by the efforts of DPI’s coalition of local agencies, community members, and DPI’s Youth Action Team.

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