Health and Fitness : ASAC Works to Lower Substance-use Related Deaths through Workplace Changes

Seventy-seven percent of individuals who use substances are employed either full or part-time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, employed individuals with a substance use disorder are three to four times more likely to have an accident on the job and five times more likely to file a workers' compensation claim according to the Employee Assistance Society of North America.

Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC) is implementing the Strategic Initiatives to Prevent Drug Overdoses (SIPDO) grant in Linn County. This grant's goal is to reduce drug deaths in the county by raising community awareness, conducting trainings, and implementing four different strategies to impact opioid overdoses. One of the key strategies is to decrease substance use, including opioid misuse, in the workplace.

ASAC is partnering with local grocery stores and businesses to create or update their substance use policies to mediate substance use in the workplace. Creating a substance use policy is a key part of implementing a substance-free workplace. Additionally, a substance use policy implemented in the workplace can be a motivator for employees to seek treatment, and can help lower business costs associated with substance use/misuse in the workplace.

If you are interested in creating or updating your substance use policy, please contact ASAC's SIPDO coordinators, Carrie Christensen and Lindsey Norman at prevention@asac.us.

The SIPDO grant is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.