About

The Azalea Project works to break the cycle of substance use and prevent substance-exposed newborns across the lifespan using primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies to ensure that all babies have healthy birth outcomes and live to see their first birthday. The Azalea Project launched in 2002 with a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Azalea Prevention

Azalea Prevention provides primary prevention education to health consumers and SBIRT training to health providers in the five-county region to prevent substance-exposed newborns.

Consumer Education

The prevention director implements primary prevention strategies in the five-county region to educate health consumers on the dangers of substance use during pregnancy and works to reduce the stigma associated with obtaining treatment to save babies from substance exposure.

Health Care Provider Training

The prevention director trains health providers to implement the evidence-based SBIRT (Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) screening tool. The goal of the SBIRT is to normalize substance use screening in routine medical care to ensure there is no healthcare bias associated with substance use and to intervene as early as possible with women who are using or see a change in their substance use across the lifespan. Home visitors are also trained to implement SBIRT to increase access for women who don’t routinely seek medical care due to the stigma associated with disclosing substance use.

Contact

Edwige Nicholas
Prevention Director, Azalea Project
Phone: (904) 930-0739
enicholas@nefhsc.org