Between 2018 and 2021, Stanly County was known for high rates of overdose and overdose death due to illicit drug use.  Prescription drugs such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants, that are used by people for whom they were not prescribed, contribute to these overdoses.  Lock Your Meds is a campaign to encourage residents, particularly caregivers of children, to keep these kinds of prescription drugs safely locked away to keep them from being used illegally.  The campaign encourages people to find a safe place to store medications, reminds them that youth who use drugs often get them from the medicine cabinet at home, and provides lockboxes to those who need them.  

Stanly County Project Lazarus

Stanly County Health Department

Center for Prevention Services 

Media campaigns directed towards parents, grandparents and other caregivers.  

Awareness of the risk of drugs being diverted from legal prescriptions to illegal use.

Participation of partner groups in events for families, parents, and seniors. 

Availability of lockboxes and locking pouches at no cost. 

Lock Your Meds media campaign ran from January 1, 2023 to May 31, 2023.  The campaign included geofencing to target ads to all Stanly County high schools, Stanly Community College, Pfeiffer College, Stanly YMCA, local cinema, and restaurants.  Total impressions/ads delivered = 728,916.  Total clicks for more information = 907.

Full page print ads ran in the May issue Stanly magazine and the June issue Health and Wellness magazine. 

Stanly County Project Lazarus partnered with the Center for Prevention Services to distribute medication lockboxes and locking pouches to community members. Lockboxes were distributed at events such as the City of Albemarle’s Community Night Out, Atrium's Diabetes Walk, Stanly Senior Services' Senior Spirit Day, the City of Locust’s Fall Festival, Project Lazarus’ Overdose Awareness, and medication take back events. 373 lockboxes were distributed in 2023 and 3454 people received information about the importance of locking up prescription medications.