ANTIDRUG PROGRAM OPENS NEW FACILITY

The Center Will Help Teens And Their Families With Prevention,
Counseling And Education

BRANDON - The center of the county's teenage drug abuse problem is
not in College Hill. It's not in Sulphur Springs.

It's in Brandon.

About half of the teenagers appearing before Hillsborough's juvenile
drug court live in either Brandon, Lithia or Riverview, officials say.

And to deal with the problem, the Drug Abuse Comprehensive
Coordinating Office, or DACCO, opened a new family facility last week
at 911 South Parsons Ave. in Brandon.

"Brandon and the Hillsborough county area have a disproportionately
high rate of teen drug abuse compared to the amount of programs
available to teens with these problems," said state Rep. Trey
Traviesa, a Brandon Republican who helped get state money for the
center. "Our work is not done."

Traviesa attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week along with Jim
McDonough, director of Florida Office of Drug Control; Machelle
Maner, a vice president at Wachovia Bank; and Col. Gary Maner of the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department.

The new facility will have residential services, which have
around-the-clock supervision. The center also will offer individual
and group counseling, prevention services, and a program that works
with teenagers and their parents to build healthy and responsible behaviors.

Outpatient services will include HIV and AIDS education, relapse
prevention, and group counseling for problem solving, anger
management, addiction, and personal boundaries.

In the past, people would have to commute to the other DACCO facility
in Seminole Heights or Plant City.

The nonprofit was started in 1973 and, initially, provided drug abuse
planning, coordination and monitoring for local government.

In 1975, it received funding to provide drug treatment services. Over
the last 30 years, it has expanded into a larger community-based
substance abuse service system reaching more than 25,000 persons annually.