INSPIRE TO RISE & THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA HEALTHY START COALITION PARTNER TO PROVIDE AZALEA SERVICES

Jacksonville, FL, December 2, 2019 – Inspire to Rise, Inc. announced today that it was selected by the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition as the new provider of the Azalea Project – Healthy Start services. The Azalea Project - Healthy Start provides outreach, education, and support services to substance-using pregnant women and parenting women. It focuses on substance-involved families whose lifestyle increases their chances of experiencing many health and social risks, including unsafe sex (STI’s/HIV), unwanted childbearing, poor school performance, poverty, infant mortality, abuse and neglect, and involvement with the criminal justice system.

Inspire to Rise, Inc. (ITR) works to address a family or individual’s diminished protective capacities by providing fully engaging, intensive, family-centered, strength-based, evidence-based, and solution-focused treatment through an array of available services at the ITR campus, at home, in jail, and/or in the community. ITR ensures referred children, families, and individuals have immediate access to a comprehensive array of services, concrete supports, resource connections, and interventions that feature ongoing safety and risk assessment provided by either one of ITR’s programs and/or a community partner.

Aida Seeraj, Inspire to Rise Inc., Founder & Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are unbelievably grateful for this collaborative partnership! The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition and Inspire to Rise, Inc. share a common vision and mission to strengthen families, break the cycle of substance use, and prevent incidents of substance-exposed newborns to ensure that all babies have healthy birth outcomes and live to see their first birthday! Our common belief is that Stronger Families = a Stronger Community. We are excited and honored to be the new provider of Azalea Project - Healthy Start Services.”

---

Azalea Project Healthy Start:

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).

The goal of the Azalea Project is to reduce risk-taking behavior in substance abusing pregnant and parenting women. The Azalea project works to break the cycle of substance use and other at-risk behaviors and is based on an empowerment model that promotes self-sufficiency and personal transformation using a comprehensive, multi-generational approach. Services are available for pregnant women with a history of or who are currently using alcohol or other drugs who live in Duval County. For additional information about the Northeast Florida’s Healthy Start Coalition, please review http://nefhealthystart.org/for-women/azalea-project/ and/or contact us at 904.359.2520