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Calvin Green, Court Operations Consultant @307-4798

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA DEPENDENCY DRUG COURT PROGRAM RECEIVES ALMOST $400,000 BOOST FROM FEDERAL GRANT

TAMPA- - The newest Drug Court Program in the 13th Judicial Circuit received a $399,854 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to begin on September 30, 2006 for three years. The Tampa Dependency Drug Court Program is a collaborative effort between the circuit court and a treatment provider, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc., along with the University of South Florida's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute. Joining together, this group will implement and evaluate evidence-based practices for families involved in the dependency court who have substance abuse issues.

Professionals have already identified a gap in treatment for dependency drug cases that require more intensive substance abuse services and more structured referrals to adequately address the issues of clients in this new court. The Dependency Drug Court has seen remarkable progress considering it has only been in existence for a little over one year.

On the bench since the program's inception, Judge Jack Espinosa, Jr., stated, "Daunting as it was to build the model from scratch, and understanding we still have a long way to go, the cooperation between investigators, treatment providers, case management teams, attorneys, and other essential partners has been no less than extraordinary, and provide meaningful opportunity for parents to effectively address their substance abuse issues."

The judge is excited about the possibilities of the grant too. Judge Espinosa remarked, "The grant allows us to expand substance abuse treatment to parents in need to better enable them to appropriately parent their children, and provides a unique opportunity to expand essential services critical to the development of safe and healthy environments for children and their families."

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