Georgia Southern University receives $31K grant to fund programming aimed at reducing substance abuse

Georgia Southern University’s Office of Student Wellness and Health Promotion (SWHP) has been awarded $31,770.73 from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to support initiatives aimed at reducing harm and risks associated with substance and alcohol use.

“The Office of Student Wellness and Health Promotion welcomes the opportunity to continue expanding alcohol and other drug harm reduction programming throughout Georgia Southern University campuses,” said Urkovia Andrews, DrPH, interim director of SWHP. “This will help create a safer environment for our campuses and beyond.”

The grant from GOHS, using federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be allocated during the FY26 grant year, which runs Oct. 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026. It will fund substance use harm-reduction strategies at the University, including programming and personnel costs.

“Innovative projects like this are designed with the intent for Georgia and our nation to reach the realistic goal of zero traffic deaths by the middle of this century,” said Allen Poole, director of the GOHS. “Each life saved on our roads is one less family that will have to live with the pain of losing a loved one whose life was taken from them in a traffic crash that was completely preventable.”