CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu will lead the establishment of a national institute aimed at providing training and resources for companies willing to hire and support individuals in recovery from substance use disorder.
Sununu will serve as honorary chairman of The Recovery Friendly Workplace National Institute and lead its advisory board, as announced by the White House on Thursday. The White House also introduced other initiatives to help states and businesses expand employment opportunities for those in recovery. These initiatives include a toolkit for businesses and model legislation for state legislatures interested in offering tax credits, grants, and other incentives to employers who become certified as recovery-friendly workplaces.
Sununu was chosen for this role due to the success of a program he launched in March 2018, which initially involved 12 employers, including Walmart and the state of New Hampshire. Since then, approximately 350 businesses employing nearly 100,000 people have joined the program, as stated by Sununu during a call with White House officials on Wednesday.
This program originated from Sununu‘s experience managing a ski area owned by his family. He has often discussed the challenges of retaining employees due to New Hampshire’s opioid crisis.
“I realized the best solution, the win-win-win, was to be part of a healthier pathway for them, to be part of their recovery,” he said. “That allowed me to keep them as an employee, it allowed them to get better, it allowed individuals to feel more emboldened to stand up and face what they were dealing with.”