The UAW Targets Help for Sufferers of Opioid Dependency
The United Auto Workers Union – the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America – is actively targeting workers and the families of workers who are suffering from opioid dependency. Their aim is to help people reduce the risk of suffering an opioid overdose by identifying treatment programs and helping those affected get the help they need.
On average, well over 100 people every day die in the US from an opioid-related incident. Some states have been more greatly affected than others, and one of the worst hit areas is Kentucky, which has a large number of automobile assembly plants and is home to many other manufacturing industries. In 2017, there were 1,160 recorded deaths that involved opioids – a rate of around 30 deaths per 100,000 people. This is in comparison to the national US average of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons.
Companies Are Recognizing That Their Employees Need Help With Opioid Dependency
Many companies are making special efforts to help people deal with the crisis, and the Ford Motor Co. in Kentucky is one of them, in tandem with the local branch of the UAW. In this state there are two huge Ford automobile assembly plants, employing almost 14,000 people.
“When you look at the Kentucky Truck Plant, you basically have two aircraft carriers’ worth of people,” UAW Local 862 President Todd Dunn told Automotive News. “There’s not one person that’s not touched in some way or another from opioid use, opioid death, suicide or overdose.”
The UAW is urging the Ford Motor Co. and other local businesses to expand their funded, union-administered programs. These programs are designed to help stop people who have been prescribed opioid painkillers from becoming reliant upon them. The UAW also wants employees to feel that they can be honest about their dependency problems, without the fear that such a revelation would lead to the termination of their employment.
The Availability of Treatment Programs Will Help Quell the Current Opioid Epidemic
“Whatever’s happening to our communities filters into our work locations,” said Jerry Carson, an employee support representative for UAW at Ford. “This epidemic didn’t happen overnight; we’re not going to get out of it overnight, but the key is to educate, provide treatment resources and show them they can make it through it.”
If you are suffering from the agony of opioid addiction, then feel free to reach out to our team at Advanced Rapid Detox. We offer a rapid opiate detox program that can have you free of the painful withdrawal symptoms of opioids within as little as 3 days. Call us today at (800) 603-1813 to learn more.
