By Ann McCauley, Director, Rural Opioids Technical Assistance Program
Through a partnership between the University of Missouri Extension Community Health Engagement and Outreach (CHEO) and the Nebraska Safety Council (NSC), the Recovery Friendly Workplace-Missouri program sponsored the Nebraska Safety Council Annual Conference, April 24-25, at the University of Nebraska.
As part of the collaboration, University Extension received exhibit space to showcase the work of the Recovery Friendly Workplace-Missouri program, and advertising along with the RFW logo and a link to the RFW website on the annual conference webpage, social media channels and the newsletter. Extension and the RFW program in Missouri are also receiving recognition in the NSC weekly and quarterly e-newsletters.
At the statewide conference, Allene Gremaud, the RFW Coordinator, and Ann McCauley, the Rural Opioids Technical Assistance Program Director, shared information on the systems developed and presented on the designation program for businesses/schools in Missouri to become Recovery Friendly Workplaces. After the conference, two businesses in Nebraska volunteered to complete the RFW-MO training program developed by CHEO, and to pilot the designation process in their state.
Left and bottom right photos: Allene Gremaud (left) and Ann McCauley (right) presenting on Recovery Friendly Workplaces at Nebraska Safety Council. Top right: Ann (left) and Allene (right) interacting with guests at Recovery Friendly Workplaces booth at Nebraska Safety Council’s 46th Annual Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Ann McCauley and Michelle McDowell, the Senior Program Coordinator of CHEO, were also featured live on the NSC Connections Podcast, “Social Wellbeing at Work and at Home.” They spoke about the RFW model in Missouri to a nationwide audience, through the NSC website.
University of Missouri Extension is in the process of expanding its collaborative agreement with the Nebraska Safety Council by sharing web-based training, technical assistance, and content in the state’s Wellness Portal, which features a membership of 375 businesses and organizations. The portal will contain the curriculum developed for the RFW designees in Missouri, the Recovery Ally Training currently held with businesses in Missouri, and the We Can Prosper Resilience Training. As time goes on, more content will be developed for the wellness portal.