On 15 October, the Health and Community Foundation (FSC) collected the White Cross of the Order of Merit of the National Plan on Drugs (PNSD), an award granted in December 2025 that recognises its sustained commitment to the prevention and treatment of addictions. The honour highlights its contribution to developing prevention programmes, prevention research and evaluation, as well as its long-standing collaboration with the PNSD.
Since its beginnings in 1985, FSC has had the support of the National Plan on Drugs in carrying out a range of initiatives. Xavier Ferrer, FSC’s Technical Director, recalls that in its early years the organisation, then known as Asociación Bienestar y Salud (ABS), received several grants for prevention and prevention research projects, including programmes comparing the effectiveness of different methods of reaching families.
He also emphasises the organisation’s collaboration with the PNSD over the years, through its participation in various technical committees and by contributing specialist knowledge whenever asked to do so.
FSC’s track record in this field is particularly evident in the programmes led by its Prevention Department, some of which have a long history of collaboration with, and funding from, the PNSD.
Otger Amatller, coordinator of the organisation’s Prevention Department, singles out the “En Plenas Facultades” (EPF) project and the Malva Project, which have received grants without interruption for more than 25 years, as well as the Noctámbul@s Observatory, supported since it began in 2013, and the LasDrogas.info portal. These initiatives sit alongside other prevention projects and, more recently, evaluation projects, which help to improve the reach and effectiveness of interventions.
Among these programmes, “En Plenas Facultades” works on prevention and health promotion in universities, encouraging healthy habits and greater awareness of substance use. The Malva Project brings a gender perspective to tackling substance use and gender-based violence. The Noctámbul@s Observatory, for its part, studies and works to prevent sexual violence in night-time leisure and drug use settings, while LasDrogas.info makes rigorous, verified information available on substances, treatments, public policy and the rights of people who use drugs.
Through these initiatives, FSC carries out awareness-raising and training activities, produces prevention materials and shares knowledge with both professionals and the general public. Its work approaches prevention from a range of fields and realities, incorporating a gender perspective and tailoring interventions to the specific needs of each setting.
Collecting the White Cross is therefore recognition of a body of work built up over four decades, marked by continuity of programmes, innovation and institutional cooperation. At FSC, we wish to extend this recognition to everyone who has taken part in our prevention programmes over the years, and to the whole organisation and its professional teams, whose dedication has been vital in building this track record.
The White Cross of the Order of Merit of the National Plan on Drugs recognises commitment to implementing prevention programmes and care for people with addictions. The award to FSC was approved by a resolution of the Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs in December 2025.
In collecting this award, FSC reaffirms its commitment to its ongoing work and thanks the National Plan on Drugs for its support and collaboration throughout these decades.
