Jim Carroll, the Trump Administration’s Drug Czar, made a stop in Bow on Thursday to learn about a key initiative of Gov. Chris Sununu’s response to the opioid crisis: Recovery Friendly Workplaces.
Carroll, along with Sununu, toured one of the Grappone family auto dealerships. The company was an early adopter of the recovery friendly model, which asks companies to provide support in a variety of forms to employees and their family members as they struggle with addiction.
“It’s a point of pride for me, and for our HR department, that people know that they are safe enough to speak up,” said Amanda Grappone.
Carroll, who talked about the struggles one of his own family member’s has had with addiction, praised the initiative and said it should have national reach.
“I really think one of the biggest challenges is something that we are talking about today, which is erasing stigma,” said Carroll.
Carroll overseas the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House. In that capacity, he manages a near $40 billion budget, half of which is spent on treatment and prevention programs.
In New Hampshire, 93 employers have submitted letters of interest in joining the Recovery Friendly Workplace program. The program doesn’t require any financial commitment: employees just need to be notified of the services available to them.
