Last year, Gov. John Kasich and his administration started Start Talking! with a simple challenge to parents and teachers: Start talking about the ills of substance use and abuse. That program has been expanded into the workplace with Start Talking! BIZ (Business Impact Zone), a collection of tools and resources specifically designed to help Ohio businesses address substance abuse and addiction in the workplace.
With the launch of Start Talking! BIZ, state leaders are strengthening the fight to prevent substance abuse in the workplace. A new set of tools, specifically designed to help employers be part of the solution to the epidemic, is available online.
Take advantage of free resources
These free resources include videos, Power Point presentations and free Start Talking! BIZ tips to help employers stay on top of current drug trends, stimulate conversations with employees about drug-free workplaces and assist employees who need help for an alcohol or drug problem.
“Every year, the misuse and abuse of drugs and alcohol robs workplaces of their most valuable assets: present, clear-thinking, productive working adults,” says Ohio Chamber member Dee Mason, founder and president of Working Partners, a Columbus-based consulting firm helping with this program.
“Through the partnership with the state of Ohio and the Ohio Chamber, our state is showing its commitment to the business community and providing employers working knowledge and tools to protect their bottom lines,” she says.
Ohio businesses have a vested interest in getting involved, Mason says. Studies show that substance abuse costs American employers more than $81 million in lost operations annually.
Help stem the costly tide of opiate addiction
Drug-related issues are a growing concern to Ohio’s employers. We believe the partnership with Start Talking! BIZ makes sense as it provides business leaders with the tools to aid their employees in combating this horrible nationwide problem.
Also, employers have financial incentive to get involved by motivating their workforces to join the battle against substance abuse, especially as Ohio continues its fight to stem the tide of opiate addiction.
The costs of prescription opiate abuse are often thought to be related to increased costs of law enforcement and incarceration. However, in reality of the $55.7 billion in costs related to opiate abuse in 2009, criminal justice costs accounted for just 9 percent of the total dollars, or roughly $5.1 billion. The real costs were found in the workplace — nearly 46 percent ($25.6 billion) of the total price tag.
I highly encourage our employers to visit the Start Talking! BIZ website and to use the resources in their own companies. This is a program that all Ohio businesses can support.
Visit the website of Start Talking! BIZ or email [email protected].
Andrew Doehrel is the president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio’s largest and most diverse statewide business advocacy group, has been a consistent voice for business since 1893.
