The city councils of Waite Park and St. Joseph have approved joining the award winning alcohol Diversion Program from St. Cloud State University.

The Diversion Program is now serving young people in these communities that first began as a joint effort by St. Cloud State and the city of St. Cloud in 2010. The program provides alcohol education and preventative services to people who have been cited for minor consumption of alcohol.

Prior to the Diversion Program in St. Cloud, repeat offenses for minor consumption were 12 percent. In follow-up assessments, participants are reporting to drinking 50 percent less alcohol than they reported before joining the program.