The Drug Overdose Task Force of Westmoreland County invites all to attend a free seminar at Founders Hall at Westmoreland Community College to learn about Project Lazarus. This public health non-profit organization was established in 2007 in response to extremely high mortality rates attributable to prescription medications in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Register for the December 3rd event at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TFSVJJD . This seminar is appropriate for professionals and the general public and is presented by the Healthcare Committee of the DOTF.
Wilkes County had the third highest drug overdose death rate in the nation at that time, 46.6 deaths per 100,000 population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In order to effectively target overdose deaths, the Project Lazarus public health model was devised and implemented based on the twin premises that drug overdose deaths are preventable and that all communities are ultimately responsible for their own health. The overdose mortality rate decreased to 29.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 2010 and to 14.4 deaths per 100,000 population by 2011 after implementation of the Project Lazarus Model.
After the success in Wilkes County, Project Lazarus began expanding statewide into other North Carolina counties during 2012. With expansion through collaborative partners, NC counties continue to implement the Project Lazarus Model to address the issues surrounding prescription medications. Once a coalition is established and completed the necessary Project Lazarus training, communities are able to operate and sustain their coalition based on the Project Lazarus Model. To date, Project Lazarus has been involved in the implementation of 48 NC county coalitions various US State projects, Tribal Groups and US Military.
Project Lazarus enables overdose prevention by providing training and technical assistance to create and maintain community coalitions, as well as capacity building for existing coalitions in the foundation of locally tailored drug overdose prevention programs and connecting coalitions to state and national resources. Project Lazarus also provides access to naloxone, the overdose rescue medication, to those at risk of an overdose or to family and friends to who have a loved one at risk, as well as Lazarus Recovery Services (LRS), a non-abstinence based peer recovery support program which combines case management, community navigation, crisis intervention, family involvement, and group facilitation. LRS also works closely with faith communities to boost recovery.
For more information, visit www.projectlazarus.org, email [email protected], or call 336-667-8100.
### Learn more about the Westmoreland Drug Overdose Task Force at http://getinwestmoreland.org/