SAMHSA has set aside the following themes for each week in September:

Sept 4-10 – Supporting youth and young people in recovery and the crucial role that families and caregivers play in supporting individuals who are already in recovery or are seeking to start their recovery journey. Key messages: The recovery journey isn’t just for the person with the substance use or mental health issue—it includes everyone who cares about them.

Sept 11-17 – Working to ensure that people of color, youth, older adults, LGBTQI+, rural residents, veterans, and people with disabilities have equitable access to recovery resources. Key messages: When recovery care and support reflect someone’s unique cultural values, they are more likely to succeed.

Sept 18-24 – Promoting a whole-person approach to wellness that addresses the social determinants of health in addition to physical and mental symptoms. Key messages: Wellness in recovery encompasses a person’s whole life, not just their substance use or mental health issues.

Sept 25-30 – There is great importance of peer support and peer support services in guiding individuals, families, and caregivers through recovery. Key messages: By sharing their stories and lived experiences, peers engage others in recovery with a vital sense of belonging, support, and hope.

Wherever you are, substance misuse is in your neighborhood. Visit the SAMHSA website to learn more about how you can be part of supporting recovery in your area. 

Dump Truck Safety Tips

Like any other job site situation involving heavy equipment, operating or working around dump trucks can pose significant safety risks to your workers if they aren’t taking proper precautions.

Between 2011 and 2020, 809 workers died from accidental injuries that involved dump trucks.

Some of the most common reasons that dump trucks can be so dangerous include:

• They generally are built sturdily and carry heavy loads. This means that they bring a lot of force to collisions.
• Stop-and-go driving makes them unpredictable on the road. Dump trucks frequently stop and turn. They are often out of the flow of traffic and can pose a danger to others when they halt or turn in the middle of the road, especially when driven at higher speeds or without signals.
• Unsteady loads mean unstable trucks. Poorly stacked materials can throw a truck off balance, causing it to tip over or can result in debris flying off the truck and potentially hitting vehicles and people.

Therefore, whether your employees are drivers or assisting at the job site, it’s important that they make safety a priority. Let’s take a look at some basic ways an employer can help reduce the risk of injury to the workforce:

What is the Best Drug Testing Method for Your Company?

At the heart of what we do at TSS is the conviction that safe workplaces must be drug-free workplaces. For this reason, we always urge the businesses we work with to establish robust drug policies and screening programs.

Naturally, one of the questions that frequently comes our way is: “What is the best drug testing method for my company?”

The answer isn’t simple. Whether you choose laboratory or onsite urine testing, saliva testing (oral fluid), hair or fingernail testing, each method has its pros and cons depending on a company’s needs. Cost, reliability, industry and government requirements, time and convenience – all factor into the decisions made. For example, if you are a business regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT), at the moment, you are required by law to conduct laboratory urine testing. However, this will soon change as oral fluid testing becomes an accepted method. In addition to urine drug testing, many of TSS's DOT-regulated clients also choose to include other testing methods in their drug policy because of their business considerations and needs.

Below is an overview of test types and the strengths and weaknesses of each:

Harvest Safety

Harvest season is almost here. That means a lot needs to be done in a short time. Over the next few months, farmers will work long exhausting hours, in physically taxing conditions and challenging environments that are full of potential hazards.

It’s hardly surprising that agriculture is one of the most hazardous jobs you can have. Statistically, farming is two times as deadly as serving in law enforcement, and five times more deadly than serving as a firefighter. And, out of the more than 4 million people who work in farming either full or part-time, approximately 100 agricultural workers are injured daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

But with some pre-planning before the harvest begins, many of the accidents and injuries that commonly happen can be avoided.

Keep An Eye Out for

Our Farmers

During harvest time more farmers are out on the roads than usual. It's important that drivers do their part to keep the roads safe by paying special attention around farm vehicles. Here, the Peterson Bros share some helpful tips for driving safely during this time.

Meet the Collector:

Cameron Hadley

Hello there! I’m Cameron Hadley. At TSS, I’m proud to come in every day and work with a team that is committed to serving Ketchikan by making sure our community is safer to work and live in. I started at TSS in November of 2022, and I’ve had a wonderful experience both through my job and by being part of this growing and welcoming city. 

Over the last months, I have performed countless drug screenings and in doing so have helped to support the goal of many companies to maintain safe, drug-free workplaces.

While drug screening is my primary task, I am also in the office to assist customers with DMV services. I’ve enjoyed getting to know a lot of people, both locals and newcomers, by helping them get their vehicles titled and registered in Alaska or with driver’s licenses and IDs.

Coaching Corner: Start Your New Adventure

By Renee Schofield, NO SPEED LIMIT

As a certified health and wellness coach, I am always gathering resources to help people live their best life.



I have coached many people over the years who are start-up business owners. Three decades of owning a variety of businesses allows me the privilege of sharing what I have learned about what to do or not do.

Often folks ask if they “should” start a business. That’s not really for me to answer. It’s for you to dig in, do the homework and figure out if you have the stamina, curiosity, and the “stick-to-it” to make it happen.

Start by asking yourself: What do I love? What are my goals for both the long and short term? What is my credit history or loan ability? What structure is best suited to my business? What are the laws and regulations that I will need to abide by?

A good business coach can help you answer those important questions as well as guide you to others that you might not have even thought about. Not every business requires significant start-up cash or has a ton of regulations surrounding it.

Your business coach provides assistance in multiple phases of the process and can save you time and money. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! The investment will be well worth it, by helping you navigate the details freeing up your time to focus on your new adventure!