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L&I Secretary Nancy Walker said a reduction in workers' compensation loss costs is a step forward in supporting Pennsylvania’s workforce and businesses. PHOTO/FILE
Training series launched to address workforce impacts of opioid crisis
Ed Gruver//November 6, 2024//
Listen to this articleThe Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced Wednesday the launch of the “Recovery Coach Workforce Education Series.”
The series is a partnership with the Program Evaluation and Research Unit to address workforce challenges stemming from the opioid crisis.
The five-part virtual training series is designed for care coordinators and professionals working in treatment and recovery services. The program will prepare participants with evidence-based strategies to integrate employment services into the recovery process.
“The opioid crisis has had a profound impact on our workforce, and it’s crucial that we approach this challenge holistically through programs like the Recovery Coach Workforce Education Series,” Nancy Walker, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, said in a statement. “By empowering care coordinators and recovery professionals with the tools to guide their clients toward meaningful employment, we’re not just addressing immediate workforce needs – we’re contributing to long-term recovery success and building stronger, more resilient communities across Pennsylvania.”
According to a release, the initiative is part of L&I’s strategy to address the opioid crisis’s impact on Pennsylvania’s workforce, which includes developing the healthcare workforce, providing employment support during different stages of recovery, and helping employers support those in recovery.
The training series will target Pennsylvania’s 45 Centers of Excellence, hubs for opioid treatment across the state, and other community recovery centers. To address the opioid crisis, the initiative builds on partnerships with the PA Department of Human Services and uses federal funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Statewide Set-Aside funds.
“The Shapiro Administration is taking a multidisciplinary approach to the opioid crisis and this partnership is another example of that,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “We are looking forward to seeing the results of this new partnership the Department of Labor and Industry has forged as it will address the critical work of stigma reduction in the workplace head on.”
