The guide provides a structure by which employers can assess, plan, and implement strategies and practices that support mine worker mental health and address harmful opioid use.  

The initiatives include free opioid overdose e-learning and bulk purchasing of NARCAN Nasal Spray.

Educating the public and the business community about opioid use disorder is challenged by a stereotype many people carry with them — the street junkie living in a tent.

Fatal overdoses in New York have nearly tripled in the last decade, with nearly 85 percent of them linked to controlled substances, including opioids. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates fatal opioid overdoses kill 91 people each day in the U.S.

At least 30 states are reporting spikes in fatal opioid overdoses and ongoing concern about mental illness or substance use disorders, all in connection with COVID-19.