Centerstone’s Workforce Investment Program helps companies attract, retain strong workforce amid drug addiction crisis

As a multistate behavioral health provider, Centerstone has heard loud and clear from the business community that a tight U.S. labor market coupled with increasing rates of addiction is hindering many companies in their ability to attract and retain a strong workforce. As a treatment provider, we realize employers urgently need an answer to this crisis.

That’s why we’ve launched the Workforce Investment Program, a consulting and treatment plan designed to help employers focus on what they do best while we support their workforce.

HOW THE PROGRAM BEGAN

Centerstone spoke with leaders of businesses, chambers of commerce and industry associations who were seeking to fill jobs and retain talented workers but struggling with increasing rates of employees failing drug screens.

When we dug deeper, we saw a trend: workforce participation rates in the U.S. have been on the decline for over a decade, particularly among males ages 25-54. Much of this is attributed to the role of drug addiction and the opioid crisis, combined with the fact that only 1 in 10 Americans struggling with addiction receive treatment.

In 2017, Belden Inc.’s Indiana team reached out to Centerstone and other community stakeholders seeking to solve this exact problem. From those conversations, the Pathways to Employment pilot was launched. Through this program, incoming and current Belden employees who fail a drug screen are able to participate in a personalized drug rehabilitation program and maintain their employment by adhering to the treatment process. As a result, a number of people gained or maintained meaningful employment.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

Centerstone offers the Workforce Investment Program so employers seeking to address addiction in the workplace have access to trustworthy, scalable solutions rooted in clinical best practice.

Have you had a potential or current employee who tested positive on their drug screen? If so, we can help.

First, we will train your HR team on the basics of addiction in the workplace: what to look for, and how to implement this program, including creating an overall “culture of recovery.” In addition, we will help you understand how to handle a positive drug screen and develop protocols for making referrals to treatment. Once the program is up and running, we will provide you with employee-facing education materials and technical assistance to ensure full program optimization. To do this, we provide the following:

Program Implementation: To launch this program, Centerstone will work closely with your team. We provide a step-by-step implementation guide for employers, trainings, educational material and more. Once planning is under way, Centerstone will host a launch meeting with your HR staff to explain the project plan and finalize the workflow.

After the program launches, employees who have positive drug screens will have the option of entering treatment as a condition of maintaining their employment. Treatment initiates with a clinical assessment. From the assessment, our clinical team will develop and implement a personalized treatment plan for each employee. During the treatment process, Centerstone and/or the treating provider will maintain regular communication with the employer to share information on participant treatment progress and program outcomes.

Outcomes and Reporting: So that your company can fully assess the value of this investment, Centerstone will share quarterly reports, including:

• Number of positions filled as a result of the program
• Drug screen results
• Time from referral to first appointment
• Number of employees engaged in treatment and/or who have completed treatment

Additionally, some states require employers to report on recovery-based programming; in this scenario, we can support your team to meet compliance and reporting requirements.

WE CAN HELP

At the end of the day, it is our goal to help you lower workforce turnover, reduce absenteeism, and fill vacant positions that are resulting from addiction. Our number one goal is to ensure that employers can focus on being industry leaders while we support your workforce.

For more information on how Centerstone can help your company, go online to Centerstone.org/workforce-investment or email Workforceinvestment@centerstone.org.