STORY FROM THE FIELD: Nebraska’s Project Extra Mile Program Leads to Reduced Alcohol Sales to Youth in Omaha

A new story on substance abuse from Healthy People 2020’s Who’s Leading the Leading Health Indicators? monthly bulletin shows how Nebraska’s Project Extra Mile works to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms. Alcohol compliance checks are one of Project Extra Mile’s key initiatives. As a result of technical assistance, education, and support provided by Project Extra Mile, 10,000 compliance checks have been conducted since 1997. During this time, the Omaha metropolitan area has seen a dramatic decrease in the percentage of noncompliant local businesses found during compliance checks. In 1997, 41% of Omaha businesses were noncompliant, compared to 8% in 2015. Additionally, selective enforcement patrols have seen a 39% decline in youth alcohol violations from 2006 to 2014. Read the full story on HealthyPeople.gov

Healthy People 2020 is a federal policy initiative that establishes national public health objectives with 10-year targets and monitors progress over time in meeting those targets. Healthy People 2020 includes several objectives under the topic of substance abuse aimed at reducing substance abuse to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially children..