Working Partners® E-Blast
Keeping you connected to your drug-free workplace program
February
2019
Happy Valentine's Day, DFWP
1:45 minutes
Go Ahead ... Ask!

“Another year and that Drug-Free Safety Program annual report has snuck up on me! I can’t find paperwork and two of our guys haven’t taken the education course. I know I need an organizational system so I’m not scrambling at the last minute, but I don’t even know where to start. Can you help?”  

We completely hear you! It seems that deadline (or any deadline!) can sneak up out of nowhere, yet, it’s due the same time every year. Because the drug-free workplace program is only a small portion of what you do and the Drug-Free Safety Program (DFSP) an even smaller portion, it makes complete sense that it could slip off the radar. Let’s talk about some key strategies for being as prepared as possible for next year. 
Guess What We Heard?

Primary care doctors writing more benzodiazepine prescriptions

According to a recently published study, the percentage of outpatient medical visits resulting in a benzodiazepine prescription (e.g., Valium, Ativan and Xanax) has doubled in 12 years.

While benzodiazepines are meant for short term use, long-term prescriptions have also increased, which is cause for concern. Long-term use can result in physical dependence, addiction and death from overdose. They share many of the same characteristics as opioids.




Coming to the Ohio Safety Congress 2019? We'll be there!
The 2019 Ohio Safety Conference & Expo is March 6th-8th. We will be presenting and we can't wait to see YOU there! Catch one of our sessions:


Medical Marijuana ... how prepared is your business?
Medical marijuana has been on sale for over a month now. There is a good chance your employees aren't clear on what that means for them.

  • Will they be able to use medical marijuana with a recommendation?
  • Is medical marijuana treated like a prescription by your drug-free workplace program?

It is important to be prepared to answer these and other employee questions on this issue with well thought-out and reasoned responses.

This is a tricky and emotion-filled subject. To help your organization with this process, we've created a few toolkits to help you work through how you will respond and communicate your stance to employees so they understand your decision.
Upcoming DFSP Deadlines

Public Sector Enrollees



Private Sector Enrollees



Upcoming Classes

Employee Education:

 
Supervisor Training:

 
Boost Camp:



CEUs through HRCI and OCILB available for select courses.
From Our Newsletter

Cocaine and methamphetamine are the second and third highest-ranking drugs of abuse (marijuana is the first) & each have multiple-year records of escalation. With the prevalence of these drugs on the rise, it’s time for employers to take stock.
Let's Get Social

A recent Cincinnati based survey shows that just under half of the participants understand addiction is a disease and 86% of them said people with addiction should always seek professional help.