Governor DeWine Launches Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace Program

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and RecoveryOhio Director Aimee Shadwick celebrated the start of Recovery Month in September by announcing a new program designed to create job opportunities for people in recovery, combat the stigma surrounding addiction and mental illness, and provide a boost to Ohio businesses.

The new Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace program will allow businesses that implement recovery-friendly practices as part of their everyday operations and core values to earn the official state designation as an Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace.

Such practices include creating policies that support hiring people in recovery, providing mental health and wellness education and training programs to employees, helping employees seek treatment for addiction, and more.

With nearly one-in-five Ohio adults battling a substance use disorder, nearly all workplaces are impacted by addiction in some way.

But research shows that businesses that invest in recovery supports make their employees, as well as their bottom lines, healthier.

Additional support for the Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace program will be provided by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, and the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.