By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
The Adams County Drug Coalition will no longer hold regular meetings as many of its members are now involved in other community committees and initiatives. Many of these new efforts stem directly from the community plan established by the coalition.
Chairman Randy Chandler explained that much of the work initially led by the Drug Coalition has transitioned to other groups, making the continuation of regular meetings redundant.
“The Adams County Drug Coalition generated a lot of positive collaboration within the community,” Chandler told The People’s Defender. “From that, we’ve formed GRIT (Growing Rural Independence Together), Operation Better Together, the Adams County Youth Coalition, and many other groups throughout the county. A lot of the people who were involved in the Drug Coalition are part of these as well, so ending the coalition meetings seemed like the right decision.”
Chandler believes the coalition’s mission has been successfully achieved thanks to the hard work of its members and community partners.
“The community plan addressed harm reduction, treatment, youth prevention, training programs and many other initiatives that grew from the coalition’s efforts,” Chandler said. “The key to it all was the collaboration and relationships within the community that helped drive things forward.”
The growth and participation seen during the coalition’s active years were a direct result of the members’ dedication to combating drug use and addiction in Adams County.
“There were so many good people who got involved and made a difference, it would be hard to name them all,” Chandler said. “But I want to extend a big thanks to everyone who felt called to help.”
