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About Project Lazarus
Project Lazarus believes that communities are ultimately responsible for their own health and that every drug overdose is preventable. We are a secular, non-profit organization that provides technical assistance to community groups and clinicians throughout North Carolina and beyond. Using experience, data, and compassion we empower communities and individuals to prevent drug overdoses and meet the needs of those living with chronic pain.
Project Lazarus is a secular public health non-profit organization established in 2008 in response to extremely high drug overdose death rates in Wilkes County, North Carolina (four times higher than the state average). In 2007, Wilkes County had the third highest drug overdose death rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Having expanded statewide in partnership with Community Care of North Carolina, we use our successful experience, data, and compassion to empower communities and individuals to prevent drug overdoses and meet the needs of those living with chronic pain. Project Lazarus enables overdose prevention by providing technical assistance to create and maintain community coalitions, and help them create locally tailored drug overdose prevention programs, and connect them to state and national resources. Read more...
We work closely with Community Care of North Carolina's (CCNC) Chronic Pain Initiative to help deliver better pain relief while reducing overdose risk at the same time. (CCNC is North Carolina's non-profit Medicaid management entity.) The Chronic Pain Initiative seeks to address these challenges through a broad partnership that includes CCNC, the North Carolina Hospital Association, local hospitals and emergency departments, local health departments, primary care doctors, faith-based programs and law enforcement. CCNC is providing financial support and tapping into CCNC’s local networks – professionals who are expert in local conditions and resources for treatment.
Get to know the Project Lazarus Model.
