The Azalea Project

The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition has had a vested interest in substance involved families since the early 2000’s. We focus on supporting mom and baby to ensure healthy birth outcomes, and to ensure that infants live to see their first birthday. The Azalea Project is a Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition special initiative focused on addressing substance use among pregnant women. The Azalea Project launched in 2002 and has been working with pregnant and parenting women for 17 years. Under this initiative, Azalea Prevention works to decrease the number of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome throughout Northeast Florida by providing free programming to healthcare providers, educators, social workers, students, and community members.

The Azalea Project works to break the cycle of substance use and to prevent substance exposed newborns across one's lifespan. We utilize primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies to ensure that all babies have healthy birth outcomes and live to see their first birthday. Azalea Prevention implements primary prevention strategies throughout Northeast Florida to educate health consumers and community providers on the dangers of substance use during pregnancy. Azalea Prevention also works to reduce the stigma associated with obtaining treatment in order to save babies from substance exposure. Preventative activities include: -Educating consumers on the opioid crisis and preventing neonatal abstinence syndrome -Educating providers on screening for substance use while utilizing SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) -Decreasing the stigma associated with substance use and addiction -Increasing knowledge of community resources. Azalea Prevention serves the following counties: Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns.