Project Lazarus in the News

Here are some of the our recent mentions in online media. 

January 24, 2012 - Headway being made in prescription drug problem [Mt. Airy News: newspaper]

• Slowly but surely, progress is being made in combating Surry County’s prescription drug problem, according to comments at a meeting Monday night. Fred Brason, who led Monday’s session, said some steps are spreading on a statewide level which should help with the problem overall, such as a chronic pain initiative. It is based on an effort in Brason’s home county of Wilkes, where “Project Lazarus” has greatly reduced overdose deaths.

January 5, 2012 - Project Lazarus [HAMS Radio - Radio Blog]

• Project Lazarus in North Carolina is fighting these drug overdose deaths with overdose prevention kits and naloxone, and they are succeeding in turning the tide. Our guests tonight are Project Lazarus workers Fred Wells Brason II and Nabarun Dasgupta who will fill us in on what is happening.

December 14, 2011 - Progress on local health issues [Wilkes Journal-Patriot: newspaper]

• In response to having the third highest drug overdose death rate nationally, Wilkes initiated a public health prescription opioid overdose prevention program that includes supply reduction, demand reduction, diversion control and harm reduction. The intervention includes community coalition building, epidemiologic monitoring, primary overdose prevention efforts, naloxone prescribing to community members, and program evaluation. Primary prevention efforts included one-on-one physician education, pill take-back days, fixed disposal sites, community awareness, expanded access to drug treatment, and other measures. Backed by the N.C. Medical Board, the first implementation of Project Lazarus in Wilkes County has been evaluated and published. 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 over 40 percent; drug-related hospital emergency department) visits decreased 15 percent; and the number of prescriptions for controlled substances stabilized. In 2009, Wilkes County had 46 deaths as a result of unintentional poisoning (over dose). Deaths decreased in 2010 to 24.5 and through Dec. 2, 2011, Wilkes has had seven deaths from unintentional, accidental poisonings.

December 12, 2011 - Buckley Report: Project Lazarus [WGHP MyFox8 Greensboro: television]

• Six counties in the northwest Piedmont are helping people stay away from the dangers of prescription drugs. In the video, Bob Buckley shows us how Project Lazarus is expanding rapidly across North Carolina. It will take two years for the program to be implemented throughout the state. The FDA has shown interest in taking it nationwide.

December 1, 2011 - Overdose fatalities are 'epidemic' [News Herald: newspaper]

• Drug abuse is endemic in rural areas across America and Burke is no exception. Fred Brason, executive director of Project Lazarus in Moravian Falls, is teaming up with local officials through the Burke Substance Abuse Network to help curb deaths. Project Lazarus is an overdose-prevention initiative that aims to decrease accidental drug deaths across the state.

November 30, 2011 - Prescription drug abuse seminar Friday [Salisbury Post: newspaper]

• Prescription drug abuse is a problem in Rowan County — and there are things the community can do about it. That will be the message of a free presentation by Fred W. Brason II, set for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.Friday at First United Methodist Church in Salisbury.

November 27, 2011 - Drug task force coalition to meet [Mt. Airy News: newspaper]

• The next “battle” in the war on prescription drug abuse in Surry County will be staged Tuesday, when a newly formed coalition meets to plan strategies. Attendance by the general public is encouraged at the meeting, the latest in a series that began earlier this year over concerns about an alarming number of overdose deaths. As of the end of October, at least 27 fatalities had occurred linked to misuse of prescription medications locally, including the teen population. Tuesday’s session is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. in the commons area of Mount Airy High School at 1011 N. South St.

November 13, 2011 - Around the Region [Charlotte Observer: newspaper]

• The Burke Substance Abuse Network will hold a breakfast meeting 7:30-9 a.m. Friday at the Community House, 120 N. King St., Morganton. The speaker will be Fred Brason, founder of Project Lazarus. Brason will discuss the topic of overdose prevention.

November 10, 2011 - Project Lazarus Chronic Pain Initiative [Salisbury Post: newspaper]

• Rowan Regional Medical Center in partnership with Community Care of Southern Piedmont will host a community forum to educate the community on The Project Lazarus Chronic Pain Initiative. First United Methodist Church, 217 South Church Street, Salisbury, NC. Friday, December 2, 2011. 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Light lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m.)

October 16, 2011 - Project Lazarus shows decreases in prescription drug overdoses [The Athens Messenger Ohio: newspaper]

• As the misuse of prescription drugs continues to infiltrate the county, area coalitions are actively trying to reverse the trend and put an end to the abuse. Thursday, an expert on the subject matter was brought in to help point the coalitions in the right direction. Fred W. Brason, founder of Project Lazarus, spoke to members of the Athens County Opioid Coalition as well as similar coalitions from Hocking County and Vinton County.

October 10, 2011 - Mt. Airy Police Discuss Prescription Drug Abuse Problem [Fox 8 Surry County: television]

• Mount Airy Police tried to do their part Monday to reduce the 20 percent of Americans who abose prescription drugs. Police spoke with dozens of people at Mount Airy High School about the dangers and side effects of prescription drug abuse.

October 9, 2011 - Meeting on prescription drugs planned Monday [Mt. Airy News: newspaper]

• A meeting is planned Monday evening in Mount Airy to further address the problem of prescription drug abuse in Surry County. It will begin at 5 p.m. in the commons area at Mount Airy High School, with the public invited.

September 30, 2011 - Success with Rx drug abuse shared [Wilkes Journal-Patriot: newspaper]

• Wilkes County has gone from third among all counties nationwide in accidental drug overdose deaths per capita in 2007 to "being off the radar screen" now for these types of deaths, said a leader in local efforts to address the problem.

September 29, 2011 - Drug Use Down In Wilkes County [WXII12 Winston-Salem: television]

• Project Lazarus is helping patients from having overdoses in Wilkes County. Doctors and pharmacists are working together to help patients know what they are taking and whether they need to take medicines or not.

September 23, 2011 - Special Edition Focus on the Foothills [3WC: radio]

• Angela talks with Fred Brason of Project Lazarus about the prescription drug abuse problem in Wilkes and an upcoming public forum.

September 13, 2011 - Commissioners view community health data [Mt. Airy News: newspaper]

• The department plans to remain involved with Project Lazarus, a project among various community agencies to identify and tackle the prescription drug abuse problem in the county. 

September 2, 2011 - Solutions prescribed for deadly drug problem [Mt. Airy News: newspaper]

• However, there is hope on the horizon in the form of improvements seen with a similar situation in neighboring Wilkes County, where a program called Project Lazarus has greatly reduced issues associated with prescription drugs.

July 9, 2011 - Project Lazarus: Solving Opioid Problems Sensibly [pain-topics.org: blog]

• While much has been said and written about problems associated with opioid analgesics, relatively little has been effectively done as yet to stem the tide of misuse, abuse, overdoses, and deaths. Rather than waiting for federal or state agencies to come to their rescue, one rural coalition took control themselves in developing a successful opioid overdose prevention program. This truly demonstrates the power of the community for solving its own public health problems.

May 2011 - North Carolina-Based Project Lazarus Presented as Model for Taos Prescription Drug Abuse Effort [New Mexico Prescription Improvement Coalition: newsletter]

• The keynote speaker for the Taos event was Fred Brason from Project Lazarus, an effort based in Wilkes County, North Carolina, which initiated the first community oxycodone drug abuse study at the county level. Project Lazarus is one of the more innovative public health interventions against fatalities from prescribed opioids in the United States. It is currently being piloted in Wilkes  County and at Fort Bragg to help teach opioid overdose recognition, prevention and response in civilian and military populations. 

May 19, 2011 - Rx News - New Mexico Pharmacists Association [newsletter]

• Pease join us at NMMRA to hear Fred Wells Brason II talk about his very successful Project Lazarus.Fred Wells Brason II is our keynote speaker for our first learning session for the Taos Regional drug abuse Collaborative. 

April 21, 2011 -  Robeson County takes action against prescription drug use [WMBF Myrtle Beach: television]

• A [drug] that works to reverse the effects of a drug overdose may soon come to Robeson County. Naloxone is a prescription drug used to counter the effects of opiate overdose. "So literally, it's waking somebody up from a dead scenario," Fred Wells Brason explained. He is the co-founder and president of Project Lazarus, an education group committed to preventing drug overdose from prescription drugs.

March 14, 2011 - Forum on Prescription Drug Abuse Coming to Lumberton [WBTW Myrtle Beach: television]

• According to a news release from Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Fred Wells Brason II, CEO of Project Lazarus, will present a program entitled Developing a Community Response to Address Prescription Drug Abuse.

February 5, 2011 - Herbert Neuman: There are ways to help, prevent prescription drug abuse [Charelston Gazzette: newspaper]

• At the local level, the Department of Health in Wilkes County, North Carolina, collaborated with community members, industry and providers to create Project Lazarus. Representatives of this program visited every doctor's office in the county to provide information and training on the state's prescription monitoring program. Today, Wilkes County leads North Carolina in registering physicians for the monitoring system.

November 9, 2010 - Living to Tell the Tale: Prescription Drug Abuse and Overdose Response [Traverse City, MI: film festival]

• The Project Lazarus video was shown at the State Theatre, in Traverse City, Michigan, owned by Michael Moore.

July 8, 2010 - New Directions California: A Public Health and Safety Appraoch to Drug Policy [conference DPA and CA Society of Addiction Medicine]

• Fred Wells Brason II is the President/CEO of Project Lazarus, a community opioid overdose prevention model.

May 2010 - Addressing Substance Abuse in Guildford County [Wake Forest University: white paper]

• The Chronic Pain Initiative (CPI) is a collaborative, multi-faceted prescription drug prevention initiative that  uses a harm reduction approach to reduce overprescribing of pain medication, limit unauthorized  access to prescription drugs, and reduce the chances of accidental poisoning deaths among  individuals who are known to be patients that are at an increased risk of misusing opioids and abusing narcotics and dying from unintentional drug overdoses

June 12, 2009 - Prescription drugs leading killer in NWNC [Danville Register and Bee: newspaper]

• Brason is the director of Project Lazarus, a pilot program set to begin this summer to provide anti-overdose kits to at-risk patients who are starting methadone treatment to try to kick opioid addictions. The kits include the drug naloxone (known as Narcan), which reverses opiate overdose by blocking the brain's opioid receptors.

May 29, 2009 - Do DIY Anti-Overdose Kits Help? [Time: magazine]

• In North Carolina, a program called Project Lazarus, which is slated to launch this summer, will target that very group of at-risk patients, who are not often included in other initiatives. Project Lazarus will hand out naloxone kits and offer training, including instruction on rescue breathing, to patients who are starting methadone treatment for pain — methadone is stronger and lasts longer than other painkillers, which puts users at a higher risk of overdose — and those beginning treatment for addiction with the anti-addiction drug buprenorphine, who are by definition at high risk for drug relapse and overdose.

December 11, 2007 - Emergency Antidote, Direct to Addicts [The New York Times: newspaper]

• With overdose death rates from such drugs increasing sharply, officials in Wilkes County, N.C., are working on a program to dispense a naloxone nasal spray to users leaving hospital emergency rooms, detoxification centers and jails. The program, Project Lazarus, received approval from the state medical board in November. “Lazarus, biblically speaking, is one who was raised from the dead, and that is essentially what naloxone does for these people,” said the director of the program, the Rev. Fred Brason II.