Mission Statement: To help individuals, families and communities stop alcohol/drug abuse and addiction. The Bay Area Council On Drugs and Alcohol (BACODA) was founded in 1974 by a group of concerned parents, business people, medical professionals, and civic leaders in order to establish a centralized clearinghouse for information on drug and alcohol abuse and to reduce the prevalence of these diseases in the Texas Bay Area. BACODA is a non-profit United Way agency governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. BACODA is a registered 501(c)3 organization. Our services extend to: school districts, referrals from the criminal justice system, medically indigents, adult and adolescent substance abusers, family members, and the general public. Services are offered in a confidential setting. BACODA currently serves southeast Harris County, all of Galveston County and northern Brazoria County with a total service population of 1.2 million people according to the 2000 U.S. Census information. Our services include: information, educational programs (for all ages), tobacco presentations, intervention, screening, assessments and urinalysis, outreach and referral, follow up, short-term and bilingual counseling, and working with alternative education programs for intermediate and high school students. Please Note: All BACODA services are provided on a sliding scale and no individual is denied services due to lack of funds.