The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce will host an event designed to teach employers how they can help employees struggling with opioid addiction be successful at work.
The event, “Taking Care of Business — How the Opioid Epidemic Affects Local Businesses,” will be Friday at the Columbus Area Visitors Center from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The event is free and open to members of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, but the public is welcome to attend.
Marla Satterfied, manager of human resources at Our Hospice and member of the Alliance of Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) prevention team, will speak about supportive employment environments and treatment options at the event.
“Our community is very aggressively working to make sure that we are handling the opioid epidemic in a responsible way,” said Cindy Frey, president of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. “(The community has) a multi-pronged effort underway that deals with treatment, recovery, law enforcement. Employment is another sector of that system. One thing that we know is that if someone is struggling with opioid addiction, staying employed is an important part of recovery.”
After the event, Chris Schneider, a physician at Columbus Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department, will offer a training on how to administer naloxone. Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the toxic effects of an opioid overdose, particularly slowed or stopped breathing, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Several local employers have had employees overdose while at work, according to the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Hopefully we can help employers understand how they can support those struggling with addiction be successful at work,” Frey said.
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What: How the Opioid Epidemic Affects Local Businesses
When: 8 to 9:30 a.m. Friday
Where: The Columbus Area Visitors Center, 506 Fifth St.
How much: Free, open to chamber members and the general public
To register: Visit business.columbusareachamber.com/events/
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