Research and Training Group Offers Opioid-Focused Resources for Workplaces

The research and training organization Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) is offering several free resources to assist employers in helping workers affected by opioid addiction.

AHP has created a website that includes resources such as a series of tips to help organizations address the opioid crisis, a pathway for designing solutions that take both social and system dynamics into account, and a displayable poster to help employers identify how they can prevent substance use disorders related to workplace injury.

The opioid crisis has had a particularly damaging impact on industries that by definition carry physical risks, such as construction, food service, forestry and recreation.

“The majority of people we have lost to opioid overdose were employed,” AHP Director of Healthcare Solutions Patrick Gauthier said this week in a news release. “That means there are employers everywhere around the country in every sector that lost valuable employees. Some sectors have suffered much more than others.”

AHP adds that many businesses are ill-equipped to handle issues ranging from on-the-job substance use to return-to-work considerations for individuals in recovery from addiction.