News Release
October 13, 2004
Dr. Ed Sontag, Assistant Secretary For Administration And Management For The U.S. Dept. Of Health And Human Services, To Hold News Conference At Kunsmiller Middle School On Oct. 14
Dr. Ed Sontag, Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will hold a news conference at 11a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14 at Kunsmiller Middle School (2250 S. Quitman Way).
Sontag will speak on a recent Targeted Capacity Expansion Grant from the Federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment given to the Arapahoe House, Colorado's largest provider of prevention and treatment services for alcohol and behavioral health problems.
This three year grant in the amount of $1,499,799 will facilitate expansion of the substance abuse counseling services that Arapahoe House will provide on-site to an additional five to 10 middle schools within Denver Public Schools. It will be implemented in collaboration with the Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.
"We are delighted that CSAT funded this important program. It is very unusual to have the kind of partnership within a public school system that we have experienced over the past decade with DPS and ADAD. Thousands of students have benefited during that time, and it is gratifying that we will now be able to expand these services to more students," said Mick Kirby, CEO of Arapahoe House.
The funding provided by this grant ensures that an additional 400 DPS students will be eligible to participate in this program. Expanded services will assist students by offering services in the school setting helping students overcome some of the barriers to access for drug and alcohol services, as well as serving as an alternative to school suspension and expulsion.
For more information, contact the DPS Communications Office at 303-764-3414 or Ann Moore with the Arapahoe House at 303-657-3700.