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GRANT WILL BOOST AGENCY'S STRENGTH IN METH FIGHT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY - Southern Illinois Healthcare is putting money into the fight against meth in Southern Illinois

SIH today announced a one-year grant of $50,000 to Williamson-Franklin Human Services.  The grant will enable the organization to develop a regional methamphetamine prevention and education program.

"Helping build and maintain healthy communities is our goal at SIH," Woody Thorne, director of SIH Community Benefits, said before the morning's press conference.  "We recognize the growing use of methamphetamine as a barrier to that goal."

Thorne said there were four applicants for the competitive grant.  While he said all applications presented "innovative and creative ideas," Franklin-Williamson Human Services had been "at the forefront of this battle."

"We are very pleased to be partnering with them, and many other community-based agencies through this new initiative," he said.

"We are in a position to focus many groups and resources on the task before us," said John Shadowens, prevention manager for the agency.  "We are very excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to working with all of our partners to address the methamphetamine epidemic in Southern Illinois."

The competitive grant was sponsored by Herrin Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, St.  Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro and Miners Memorial Health Center in West Frankfort.