The Elkhart County Drug-Free Partnership consist of individuals who are interested in reducing the prevalence of substance misuse and other unhealthy behaviors in Elkhart County through work in prevention, treatment and criminal justice.

History:
In 1989, a new strategy for accelerating Indiana's fight against alcohol and other drug problems was initiated. First by executive order and later by an act of the Indiana General Assembly, the Governor's Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana, within the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, was created on May 9, 1989 and charged with leading Indiana's fight against alcohol and other drug abuse.

The Commission's mission was to provide the vision, expertise and leadership to develop comprehensive statewide strategies to address the complex problems associated with alcohol and other drugs within the State. The Commission's planning encompasses prevention, intervention, treatment, and justice by enlisting the efforts of state and local governments and private citizens to mobilize local and state collaborative efforts toward a drug-free Indiana. A primary goal is to facilitate the necessary communication, collaboration and coordination on multiple fronts and manage state and local level coordination.

Each county has its own Local Coordinating Councils (LCCs), which is the planning and coordinating body for addressing alcohol and other drug problems in a county. Membership of a LCC should include volunteers from a variety of institutions and organizations including education, treatment, social services, and local police. The LCCs are required to submit to the Commission a Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP), which consists of 1) an assessment of the local alcohol and other drug abuse problems in the county, including problem identification and supportive data; 2) a listing of proposed objectives to help alleviate the stated problems; and 3) an evaluation component designed to measure the success of the Plan's strategies. Once the Commission approves a Plan, a copy is sent to the County Commissioners for their use in allocating local funds.

Contact people:

Jessica Koscher, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email) Jan Noble, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email) Joseph Brown, President, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (574) 534-3951

Address:

114 N. Main Street Goshen, IN 46526 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified