MONEY IN THE RIGHT PLACE: GRANT TO FUND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM

We commend a new grant from two national charities to fight substance
abuse and improve mental health care in Orange County.

The $270,000 grant will be used to implement the Reclaiming Futures
program. This national initiative helps teenage substance abusers by
screening and providing treatment to those entering the juvenile
justice system.

In the short term, the grant provides generous, much-needed funding
for the area's substance abuse and mental health clinics. In the long
term, it has real potential to fight drug addiction in Orange County
and help criminal drug users get their lives back on track.

A well-tested model to combat drug use - like Reclaiming Futures - is
exactly what our community needs. Private mental health clinics in the
county have struggled to accommodate demand since reforms in 2001 cut
spending on state programs. Higher prices have left many substance
abusers without options for treatment.

We hope Reclaiming Futures will go a long way to bridge the gap between our
county's mental health needs and its current capacity of treatment. We
especially appreciate that the grant comes from two charities well-known for
their strong philanthropic record in North Carolina: the Kate B. Reynolds
Charitable Trust and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

"Breaking the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime among our young people
in North Carolina is an important priority for our organization," said
Susan Richardson, program officer of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable
Trust, in a press release. "Reclaiming Futures offers a tested tool
that can make a huge difference in our communities."

This grant is especially poignant now because of the tragic death of
Joshua McCabe Bailey, a Chapel Hill resident found shot to death
earlier this year. Bailey suffered from both mental health problems
and substance abuse, and it is speculated that his death was
drug-related.

We hope that Reclaiming Futures will do a world of good in helping
those like Bailey.