Community Health

Alcohol abuse grant The Department of Health's alcohol and drug abuse prevention and education services have been awarded a Maryland strategic prevention framework (MSPF) community implementation grant of $31,132 to the Anne Arundel Community College Foundation. The funding will be used for prevention strategies and programs specifically designed to reduce underage drinking in the community. Grant target areas are Brooklyn Park, Curtis Bay, Glen Burnie and Pasadena. Information: Sandy Smolnicky, prevention specialist, 410-222-6724.

Regarding your article about the city's plan to strip some liquor stores of their licenses, many studies have shown that communities with greater densities of alcohol outlets have higher levels of drinking, unintentional injuries and violence ("Baltimore to strip some liquor stores of licenses in rezoning effort," June 18). Specifically, published data about Baltimore show not only an inequitable distribution of liquor stores in predominantly African-American and low-income communities but also significant associations between the presence of liquor stores and the risk of health-related problems.