The work of the Indiana Workforce Recovery (IWR) initiative, which has produced impressive results through its first two years, will be more important than ever in 2021.
IWR – a strategic partnership between the Indiana Chamber, Wellness Council of Indiana (WCI) and Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration – launched in 2018 to empower the business community to play a leading role in tackling the state’s daunting opioid and substance abuse challenges.
Mix in the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for recovery resources and convenings became even more imperative in 2020.
“We know substance use is up amidst the pandemic,” states Mike Thibideau, IWR director. “A lot of Americans are turning to it to cope with the stress and isolation they feel. We’ve been working tirelessly to help employers connect to potential assistance.”
Thibideau adds that temporary closures of churches, schools and 12-Step Program locations were especially detrimental. As a result, more than 1,700 attendees had joined IWR employer events through September either virtually or in-person and over 4,700 professionals have been engaged in direct education through conferences, regional/local chambers and strategic partners.”
Looking ahead to 2021, Thibideau notes consultation will be a focus and an emphasis will remain on use of various substances.
“We know many employers have changed policies and adopted new behaviors, but we want to do everything we can to make sure we have clearer conduits to quality care, better community connections and better engagement for people who are in recovery and looking to get well.”
Due to COVID-19, IWR is also expanding its offerings to cover mental health.
“We just did an event in early December on resiliency,” he relays. “We’re working strategically with the state of Indiana and other partners on what we can do to connect the mental health support infrastructure of the state to our employers.”
The full slate of 2021 events is not finalized, but Thibideau encourages any Indiana employers interested in helping its employees with recovery to contact him to begin the conversation.
“We work with enough employers and see enough stories of success to be able to help navigate those systems,” he concludes. “If employers don’t have the resources to have things like (Employee Assistance Programs) already in place, there are state programs like the Be Well Indiana crisis hotline and recovery coach hubs popping up – and a number of other free programs we can show them how to connect to.”
Visit www.wellnessindiana.org/recovery for more information or to register for upcoming virtual events.
