The company and its community partners pilot a unique program that
blends drug rehabilitation with the promise of
employment for workers willing to lead drug-free lives
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), an innovator and global leader in signal
transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, is also
innovating when it comes to combatting America’s opioid crisis. At its
Richmond, Indiana plant, the company is offering applicants that fail
pre-employment drug screens a tailored rehabilitation program that puts
them on the path to a job.
Under its “Pathways to Employment” initiative, Belden and local partners
— Centerstone Indiana, Meridian Health Services, Ivy Tech Community
College and Manpower — launched their pilot program in February 2018.
Potential Belden employees who are denied a position because of a failed
drug test will now be able to participate in a personalized drug
rehabilitation program. A job with Belden awaits those who successfully
complete their course of treatment and commit to maintaining a life free
of substance abuse.
The program is designed to address two major problems currently facing
the nation: substance abuse, which is highlighted by the current opioid
crisis, and the shortage of workers available to many companies in
critical American industries. Belden believes programs such as Pathways
to Employment, when delivered effectively, can be a win for both
employees and employers.
Government and public organizations continue to rise to the challenge of
combatting the opioid epidemic, which affects all areas of today’s
society, but many believe it’s also time for the business community to
try to get more involved.
The initiative is being applauded by state and federal officials. In
fact, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams cited Belden at the Chamber
of Commerce conference on the opioid crisis held in Washington on March
1, 2018. Sitting alongside the heads of the Food and Drug Administration
and Center for Disease Control, Dr. Adams cited Pathways to Employment
as “an example of ways the business community can lean into this if you
see this as a part of your mission.”
“The opioid crisis is one of the most daunting and demoralizing
challenges facing American families. Corporate Citizenship is an
important part of Belden’s culture and we appreciate the experts in
Richmond who have helped us craft a mechanism to support our neighbors
there. We still have a lot to learn but hope this initiative will result
in a model that other companies can follow,” commented Belden’s CEO,
John Stroup. “There are currently five people at various stages of the
pilot program. Progress to date has been positive and promising and we
look forward to the day we can expand the program to other Belden sites.”
The Pathways to Employment program was originally conceived in
conjunction with Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal, who was the founder of
Phoenix House, the national non-profit drug treatment organization, and
is the president of The Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies in New
York City.
“This is both a major new approach to drug treatment and it is an
innovative way to address the workforce shortage issue,” Dr. Rosenthal
said. “Many companies need more workers and many promising workers need
help leading drug-free lives. Employers and employees will find this is
a real win-win solution.”
For more information, visit www.belden.com/pathways-to-employment.
About Belden
Belden Inc., a global leader in high-quality,
end-to-end signal transmission solutions, delivers a comprehensive
product portfolio designed to meet the mission-critical network
infrastructure needs of industrial, enterprise and broadcast markets.
With innovative solutions targeted at reliable and secure transmission
of rapidly growing amounts of data, audio and video needed for today’s
applications, Belden is at the center of the global transformation to a
connected world. Founded in 1902, the company is headquartered in St.
Louis and has almost 10,000 employees globally, and manufacturing
capabilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more
information, visit us at www.belden.com;
follow us on Twitter @BeldenInc.
Belden, Belden Sending All The Right Signals, and the Belden logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Belden Inc. or its affiliated
companies in the United States and other jurisdictions. Belden and other
parties may also have trademark rights in other terms used herein.
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Belden Inc.
Richmond & Indiana area:
Melissa Knapp,
937-336-5258
Media Relations
melissa.knapp@belden.com
or
St.
Louis & National area:
Ellen Drazen, 314-309-6010
Media
Relations
ellen.drazen@belden.com
Source: Belden Inc.