CareerSource Central Florida has launched “Fostering Opioid Recovery through Training & Employment” or FORTE. It’s a four-year initiative focused on engaging businesses and individuals affected by the opioid crisis.
As part of $5M awarded to the State of Florida from the U.S. Department of Labor, the agencyreceived $2.7M aimed at supporting and training businesses whose employees may be impacted by opioids.
Among those hurdles is the exploding rate of opioid dependency and overdoses that has emerged during the pandemic.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more than 81,000 Americans died of an overdose in the 12 months ending in May 2020 – the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in 12 months.
Central Florida experienced a 57% increase during that time.
"Project Opioid is so proud to partner with CareerSource Central Florida in sharing the FORTE program with our region," said Project Opioid Founder and CEO, Andrae Bailey. "Our workforce is impacted in so many ways by the opioid and overdose epidemic. By involving CEOs, business owners and Human Resources personnel through training, and also by expanding Central Florida's inventory of Peer Recovery Specialists, FORTE is positioned to help bring about real, and positive change."
The initiative includes:
Training for Human Resources Teams: Through partnerships with local providers, CSCF will offer education and training to businesses and human resources professionals throughout Central Florida on how to identify and support employees who may be impacted by opioids.
Developing Talent to Support Careers Helping those in Recovery: To encourage participants to enter professions addressing the opioid crisis, scholarships for training for careers in addiction recovery will be offered. It includes partnering with treatment centers to offer short-term training/certifications for “recovery peer specialist” and “recovery support specialist” roles.
“The underlying meaning of FORTE is strength and so it is fitting that the solutions provided by CareerSource Central Florida not only provide educational and awareness programs to ensure more support and recovery from the opioid crisis occur, but that these solutions further strengthen the workforce of the community overall,” said President and CEO Pam Nabors.
