Ohio to use federal grant to connect employers, workers in addiction recovery

Ohio will invest $8 million over the next two years to help employers and unemployed workers in 16 counties overcome issues related to the opioid epidemic and to help build the workforce to address the crisis, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced Thursday (Source: “$8M grant to connect employers with workers in recovery,” Dayton Daily News, Nov. 1, 2018).

The Trade and Economic Transition National Dislocated Worker Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will be used to support employers who hire individuals in recovery, create an addiction services apprenticeship at community colleges, and provide job training and other services.

“Drug addiction and overdose deaths have become the most pressing public health issue and workforce challenges facing Ohio,” ODJFS Director Cynthia Dungey said Thursday. “This grant will allow us to help businesses rebuild their work forces and individuals rebuild their lives.”

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has created a number of tools to enable policymakers to take stock of what’s been done to address Ohio’s addiction crisis, compare it to what the evidence says works best and determine where there are still gaps in the state’s response. HPIO also recently released a policy brief titled “What works to increase self-sufficient employment,” a resource for policymakers who would like to implement and strengthen evidence-based policies and programs for Ohioans facing barriers to self-sufficient employment.