On February 13, 2015, Kien Lee, Ph.D., Principal Associate/Vice President, and Brandon Coffee-Borden, M.P.P., Associate, delivered a presentation at the offices of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust (the Trust) for 12 members of the Trust and implementation team of Project Lazarus, a project of Community Care of North Carolina. The Trust engaged Community Science to study aspects of Project Lazarus, an initiative designed to address the ongoing challenge of prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose in the state of North Carolina. Community Science used cross-case study methodology to identify patterns and lessons learned across six counties where the initiative is being implemented. The evaluation team conducted site visits and telephone interviews with stakeholders in each county to understand how the initiative is unfolding, and to identify challenges, successes, and lessons learned.
“Community Science has provided a helpful glimpse into how Project Lazarus is unfolding on the ground in different communities,” said Allen Smart, Vice President of Programs for the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. “The lessons from this project not only help us better understand how to address prescription opioid issues more effectively, but also improve our approach to future work that cuts across sectors in complex ways to improve the health of North Carolina communities.”
The presentation provided background information on the study and then described key findings related to how the study communities mobilized to address prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose; cross-sector collaboration and community engagement; activities implemented to address prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose; future directions for the communities; and recommendations to inform future initiatives of the Trust and implementation team.
