Helping employers respond to mental health, substance-use, and addiction challenges in the American workforce.
The Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative works with partners and employers to help address major mental health challenges facing workforces and communities including depression, suicide, and substance use disorders.
The Center for Health, Work & Environment and the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention are collaborating to address the national mental health crisis and substance use epidemic intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to educate, train, and provide resources to help managers and individuals implement evidence-based workplace practices and support for employees in treatment and recovery.
The Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) Initiative acknowledges the critical role employers hold in elevating the importance of mental health in the workplace and is dedicated to equipping them to address it.
Colorado's RFW Pledge below
To continue the work of our successful peer learning series, in partnership with the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, we are launching the RFW Employer Workgroup.
This group will represent Colorado employers who are champions for RFW policies and practices and be the voice of local employers on statewide RFW issues. If you are interested in signing up for the RFW Workgroup or want to learn more information, sign up below.
We know that employers acknowledge the importance of recovery friendly workplaces. This initiative provides opportunities for Colorado business champions to step up and act collectively.
— Lili Tenney, DrPH, MPH, assistant professor at the ColoradoSPH, associate director for outreach and programs at CHWE and project lead
The Health Links™ Workplace Mental Health Module is designed to help organizations assess their current strategy and how to improve policies and practices that support a positive workplace culture. The module includes a survey, toolkit, customized recommendations, and advising sessions aimed at using evidence-based practices to improve employee mental health.
In this free, 30-minute course, you will learn the importance of prioritizing and addressing workplace mental health. Through this course, participants will learn practical and helpful action steps to raise awareness about mental health, reduce stigma, and prioritize care for all employees.
This toolkit provides a comprehensive document that identifies the steps employers can take to enhance organizational effectiveness and become a workplace that supports all employees, especially those in recovery from addiction. Strategies that Recovery Friendly Workplaces across the nation, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have carefully implemented, rigorously evaluated, and deemed effective are the central foundation for developing this Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative.