FOCUS earns Recovery Friendly Workplace designation

FINDLAY — FOCUS Recovery and Wellness Community has been designated as a Recovery Friendly Workplace. The designation is for employers to demonstrate they encourage a supportive environment for employees recovering from mental health and substance use challenges. FOCUS Executive Director Brooke Nissen is hoping that other employers will see the benefits and want to participate as well. "It would be great if more businesses in the community could recognize this and want to be a part of it," she said. "I have just been a big advocate for people being able to get this designation." Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the launch of the Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace program - which is led by the Governor's RecoveryOhio initiative - in August. DeWine said the new program is designed to create job opportunities for people in recovery from a substance use disorder or mental health condition, combat stigma surrounding addiction and mental illness in the workplace, and provide a boost to Ohio businesses. Companies that implement recovery-friendly practices as part of their everyday operations and core values will be able to earn the official designation as an Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace. Nissen said FOCUS is unique since it's a peer-led recovery organization. Meaning anyone who works for the agency has lived experience in recovery from either mental health, substance use or trauma experiences, and holds a Peer Support Specialists license. "A lot of our policies and procedures and practices already have been built into what a Recovery Friendly Workplace should look like, so we are a little bit unique and different," she said. But there are benefits for employers to take the approach as a Recovery Friendly Workplace, said Nissen. It spreads the message that the agency assists employees with mental health or substance use disorders to seek treatment. It helps expand and retain their workforce. There are also cost saving benefits, she said. "Health care costs will go down which impacts your bottom line because you're not paying as much for people to go to the doctors or, if they're going to treatment, they're taking care of themselves so you're seeing longer term success," she said. The website also has a substance use cost calculator for employers that provides business leaders with specific information about the cost of substance use (including prescription drug use and misuse, alcohol use and misuse, opioid and heroin addiction, as well as use of other illicit drugs and cannabis) in their workplace based on size of employee base, industry and state. "So Focus for example saves approximately $11,000 a year if we incorporate their designations or practices because they're impacting the bottom line with health care costs and staff turnover," Nissen explained. Of the nine factors involved in becoming workplace friendly, the business or agency has to meet five, she said. FOCUS meets all of them, she said. But for providers that haven't meet any, they need of starting point. "One of them is you have to supply knowledge on how people can seek help, either through the 988 hotline or through the national suicide line," she said. The big thing, Nissen said, is that you want people to feel supported in their work environment. "You get more social connections when you identify that you are recovery oriented and friendly. We care about your health and wellness," she said. Another factor pertains to educating people about mental health and substance use disorders so you know how best to work with people, said Nissen. "So even here, even though my team is in recovery, I may have someone in recovery from substance use that doesn't necessarily know how to work with a person's mental health struggles so we provide training," she said. "Not only do you get these benefits talking about the bottom line economic benefit, but I also like to say this is just being kind and inclusive," she said. She said some people still think that substance use disorder is a moral choice rather than an actual disorder. "That still exists but it actually provides barriers for people who want to work on treatment to be open and honest if you feel you have to hide that from an employer," she said. "So this can lead to more open discussions." Nissen said she's already sent information about the program to a couple of businesses. "I know there's a few great partners we have in our community who really do some of this stuff already in their practices and people feel supported in that way," she said. "It's just this really great designation." Focus has an adult center, a youth center, three recovery homes, a community outreach team and conducts a podcast. Information about the program can be found on the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services webpage under "Know our Programs and Services."