Employers in Terre Haute and the surrounding area are encouraged to attend the first Employer Opioid Strategy meeting from the Indiana Workforce Recovery initiative, a partnership of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Wellness Council of Indiana and Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration.

The Terre Haute meeting will serve as a kickoff to a series of employer convenings around the state and will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on January 29 at Ivy Tech Terre Haute, 8000 S. Education Drive. This is a free event!

Employers who attend the meeting will come away with a base level of knowledge about the opioid and substance use disorders, as well as community connection resources for workplace substance misuse.

“There have been a significant number of events around the state focused on the impact of opioids on our communities. These events will be the first to focus exclusively on solution-oriented best practices for employers,” offers Mike Thibideau, director of Indiana Workforce Recovery.

From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., employers will hear about the science of substance use disorder, stories of recovery, legal guidance on drug-free workplace policies and how to detect drug use among employees, as well as information on local treatment and recovery efforts. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

There will be an optional naloxone training from 2-3 p.m. to help employers learn how and why to use the opioid overdose reversal drug.

“Of the Hoosiers with substance use disorder, up to 70% of them are part of the workforce,” Thibideau adds. “Employers need to be connected with tactical best practices that allow them to mitigate the short-term impact of the opioid epidemic on their workplace, while building environments that in the long-term help hire and retain quality, drug-free talent.”

Dates and locations for future employer events around the state will be announced soon.

If you would like to learn about participating as an exhibitor, or have any questions about the event, contact Thibideau at mthibideau@indianachamber.com or (317) 264-2166.

Charlee Beasor is the communications & PR manager for the Indiana Chamber. She is also a writer for the Chamber’s award-winning BizVoice magazine and has been with the organization for eight years.