Policymakers & Media

The Project Lazarus public health model is based on the premises that drug overdose deaths are preventable and that all communities are ultimately responsible for their own health. The model components: (1) community activation and coalition building, (2) monitoring and epidemiologic surveillance, (3) prevention of overdoses through medical education and other means, (4) use of rescue medication to reverse overdoses by community members, and (5) evaluation of project components. The last four steps operate in a cyclical manner, with community advisory boards playing the central role in developing and designing each aspect of the intervention.

Backed by the NC Medical Board, the first implementation of Project Lazarus in Wilkes County has been evaluated and published. We now work in more than 30 counties. Project Lazarus has facilitated overdose prevention in Wilkes in collaboration with the Health Department, law enforcement, schools, clinicians, local hospital, and faith community. In the past three years: overdose deaths decreased 42%; drug-related hospital emergency department (ED) visits decreased 15%; the number of prescriptions for controlled substances stabilized; a new substance abuse facility treats over 250 patients monthly; the hospital changed its ED prescribing policies to limit opioid prescriptions; one-on-one clinical pain management education was conducted with nearly all physicians; the percent of Wilkes physicians registered on the Controlled Substances Reporting System (CSRS) increased to 70%; overdose prevention is taught in all county schools; the sheriff provides a 24/7 drug drop-off site for unused or expired medications; and doctors provide pain patients and drug users with free overdose reversal kits.