The National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center (NYARRC) at Georgia Southern University has received a federal grant totaling $126,000 through the Community Services Board of Middle Georgia (CSBMG).
NYARRC co-director Chad Posick, Ph.D., from the University’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and co-director Juliann Sergi McBrayer, Ed.D., from the College of Education, partnered with J. Mitchell Miller, Ph.D., and Brenda Vose, Ph.D., at the University of North Florida to earn the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance.
“Our project, ‘CSBMG Behavioral Health & Overdose Reduction Initiative,’ reflects our commitment to addressing critical health challenges within our community,” said Posick. “We look forward to collaborating with our community partners, law enforcement and other recovery organizations as we continue to advance our mission in providing quality behavioral health services to those in need.”
The JAG funding will assist with prescription needs for incarcerated individuals and address the need to purchase vital records and help meet clothing requirements necessary for the employment of those previously incarcerated.
Community and school-based educational events where Georgia Southern faculty will visit schools and deliver presentations on drug abuse prevention and intervention, as well as public service announcements and awareness campaigns, will also be rolled out as part of this project.
All four team members will engage in a six-month final planning phase to ensure effective implementation of project efforts and services alignment across 16 counties in middle Georgia, with drug treatment intervention set to start in the early spring of 2025.
The JAG Program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas, including law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, technology improvement, crime victim and witness initiatives, mental health programs and related law enforcement, and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams.
The funding is authorized under the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 118-42).
