Adena hosts workshop to urge employers to hire people in recovery from substance use disorder

Megan Becker, Chillicothe Gazette
·2 min read

CHILLICOTHE— Adena Health System hosted a workshop Thursday to encourage employers to hire people in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD).

The workshop is part of Adena's "Break the Stigma" campaign, an effort funded through a three-year Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) grant from the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency in 2019. This is the workshop's first year.

In addition to providing information about SUD and encouraging employers to hire people in recovery to fill jobs, the employers also learned what to do when an employee has SUD and how they can help get the employee into appropriate treatment so they can return to their job when they are well.

Nikki Priest, RCORP Project Manager and Hope Partnership Project Coordinator, said the workshop took six months to plan and organize.

"One of the things that we've recognized as a gap in the community is an understanding of how to work with people that have substance use disorder," Priest said. "I hope that [employers] gain more of an open mind about their willingness to hire people with substance use disorder, and an open mind about what a drug-free workplace looks like."

Representatives from Adena, the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce, Ross Couty Community Action and more sparked discussion during the workshop. Presenters included:

  • John Gabis, medical director of community partnerships for Adena, spoke about the Hope Partnership Project, a local response effort to tackle substance use disorder and promote recovery.

  • Regina Bond, of Working Partner, discussed the organization's efforts to promote a drug-free workplace.

  • Jack Everson, of Shawnee State's BESTOhio and WISE Pathways programs, spoke on behalf of the programs. BESTOhio is a gathering of employers designed to help find solutions to the workforce and other issues, while WISE Pathways aims to introduce women, including those in recovery or re-entry, to careers in manufacturing.

  • Melony Bryant, of Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation, detailed BWC's Drug-Free Safety Program.

  • Julie Bolen, executive director of Ross County Community Action, talked about the Employee Resource Network and the INSPIRE grant.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation guided the teaching with an organization called Working Partners which is used for employer training. The workshop was presented by the Hope Partnership project and the RCORP implementation grant in collaboration with the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce.

Priest said Adena is hoping to renew its RCORP grant for an additional three years.

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at Mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Adena workshop urges employers to hire people with substance use disorder