Salinas Announces Youth Mental Health, Substance Use Prevention Grant to Tualatin Together

Today, U.S. House Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $375,000 to Tualatin Together as part of its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) grant opportunity for projects of regional and national significance.

“As a member of Congress and the mother of a teenager, protecting our children is of paramount importance to me,” said Rep. Salinas. “The co-occurring substance use and mental health crises pose an imminent threat to young people in every corner of our state, and the federal government must intervene before more of our children have their lives cut short by preventable tragedies. This grant will allow Tualatin Together to continue doing its critical work to educate and empower young people across Oregon’s Sixth District. We must make prevention a priority.”

“This opportunity to combine the much-needed focus on mental health with programs to prevent the first time a youth might use alcohol or substances is pivotal for our community,” said Cyndy Hillier, Executive Director of Tualatin Together. “The impacts of the pandemic have altered the way we need to serve our youth. This grant affords us the time and funds to look holistically at youth in the Tigard-Tualatin School District and partner with schools, parents, community partners and other key leaders to ensure we are supporting the protective factors and reducing risk factors for youth to live their best lives.”

According to Mental Health America, Oregon has the highest percentage of youth who have experienced at least one major depressive episode, and the third highest percentage of youth who have reported a substance use disorder in the past year.

In April, Salinas joined her Oregon colleagues in calling on the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to work with local school districts to combat the opioid overdose crisis among youth, as the rate of Oregon teens who die after overdosing on drugs continues to grow faster than any other state. She also hosted U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra for a roundtable discussion on tactics to mitigate the spread of fentanyl in Oregon.

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