Webinar held to discuss the opioid crisis in the workplace and at home

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)- With the opioid crisis waging a war across the U.S., Cal Beyers, Vice President of Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing, and Holmes Murphy hosted a webinar to discuss how the ongoing crisis is affecting workplaces in the U.S.

According to the National Safety Council, approximately 75% of workplaces are affected by this crisis. The number of Americans dying of overdoses grew dramatically during the pandemic. More than 105,000 Americans died of overdoses between October 2020 and October 2021, and 70% were the result of opioids.

According to the Health Institute, Colorado experienced a 38% increase in drug overdoses in 2020 vs. 2019. Construction workers and extended families are disproportionately at risk for soft tissue injuries at work and home (athletics/sports) and from orthopedic, dental, and general medical surgical procedures which sometimes leads to their use of painkillers.

Brand Newland, CEO, and Co-Founder at Goldfinch Health, and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser also attended the webinar.

On wednesday morning, Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser explained how dire the opioid situation is in the centennial state.

"In the last year more people died of overdose, drug overdoses, fentanyl and more people died than we lost in car crashes and gun violence death combined so this is a crisis," added Weiser.

   Its an on-going crisis that many are dealing with at home and  work.

But right now the AG says employers play a huge role in addressing the issue.

"This is a crisis. Employers leaning in saying we are part of the commitment of recovery and employers saying. ' I am recovery friendly' makes a big difference because the opposite of addiction is not sobriety it is connection," added Weiser.

   During the Webinar--- a workforce leader noted the construction industry ranks the 2nd highest among all industries for opioid.

That's because there's a 55% prescription rate in the construction workforce due to a high risk of injury.

"We have many injuries with lost time that do result in opioids,  a big area of concern is muscular area injuries, these are the ones that cause chronic pain that lead to sleep deprivation that cause fatigue that lead to injuries," added Cal Beyer.