First-of-its-Kind Survey to Provide Valuable Insight into Prevalence and Impact of Substance Abuse on the Workplace

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Working Partners® (www.workingpartners.com) Drug-Free Workforce Community Initiative (DFWCI), recently announced they collected over 5,000 surveys from business leaders across the state. The surveys are a key element of their effort to understand and address the safety and economic threat of drug abuse in the workplace, including heroin and prescription opioids.  

The survey and dissemination process, overseen by statistician and research analyst Yvonne Olivares, PhD, gathered information including the perceived prevalence and impact of opiate and other substance abuse on the workplace; prevalence of job seekers and employees testing positive for drugs; the application and caliber of drug-free workplace programs; degree to which second chances are being offered; knowledge of community-helping resources; and attitudes about prevention and treatment.  

"We are excited about this data, as it simply does not exist anywhere. Ohio is on the forefront of compiling this critically needed information," said Dee Mason, founder and CEO, Working Partners®.

"Consistently, business leaders share their difficulties finding employees who can pass drug tests," said Andrew E. Doehrel, president & CEO, Ohio Chamber of Commerce. "This data will help us better understand the issues businesses face and will be invaluable as we develop action plans to address drug abuse in the workplace at a community and statewide level."

The Business Survey was distributed to a comprehensive representation of varied industries in the 17 participating Ohio counties and completed by a business leader with strong infrastructure knowledge. A corresponding Community Leader Survey was distributed to leaders with insight into the issues and needs of the business community. Survey data will be supplemented with secondary data, resulting in reports that will guide the efforts to develop and support a strong, drug-free workforce in each of the participating counties. Survey reports are planned for release this summer.

OhioMHAS and Working Partners® have developed a public-private partnership to move the Working Partners® DFWCI forward throughout the state. The initiative will support local employment strategies related to drug-free workplaces. OhioMHAS provided funding for 17 local communities to work with Working Partners® to convene and coordinate stakeholders to assess specific community needs and develop local action plans to increase the employable drug-free workforce by implementing a variety of best practices. For more information visit www.workingpartners.com.

SOURCE Working Partners