HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced today that its director of prevention and intervention, Garrison Gladfelter, was awarded the 2012 Ketty Award from the National Prevention Network (NPN) for outstanding national leadership in substance use prevention services.

"Prevention services are vital in maintaining a healthy community," said DDAP Secretary Gary Tennis. "Garrison Gladfelter's leadership and receipt of this award demonstrates what we already know − that Pennsylvania leads the nation in drug and alcohol prevention programming."

Since 1989, the Ketty Award has been awarded annually to NPN representatives who have made outstanding contributions to the network and to the field of substance use prevention. The award is named for Ketty Rey, a pioneer in the substance use prevention field.

Gladfelter is involved nationally in substance use prevention programs. He was appointed in 2009 as the Northeast NPN Regional Representative and co-chair of its Research and Evaluation Committee. Gladfelter has served on the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors' Research Committee and Data Workgroup and currently serves on the NPN Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center External Steering Committee and Data Information Technology Infrastructure Contract workgroups. He is an advocate for the use of appropriate mechanisms to capture crucial prevention data and works with local prevention programs to encourage exemplary practices.

The award was presented Sept. 20 in Pittsburgh at the 25^th Annual NPN Conference co-hosted by the department and the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors.

Gladfelter resides in York, Pennsylvania and has worked for the commonwealth since April 2002 within drug and alcohol programs.

For more information, visit www.ddap.pa.gov.

Media contact: Christine Cronkright, 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs