Ep29 Addiction Treatment Recovery Friendly Workplace

[00:00:00] Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Chris Langley: Hi, welcome to the Addiction Recovery Place Podcast, the podcast championing addiction treatment professionals around the world. I'm your host, Chris Langley, and I'm very pleased to introduce today's guest, James Maines, who is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and Recovery Friendly Workplace Advisor of the Susquehanna Workplace Network, which is located in Harford and Cecil Counties in the state of Maryland, also known as the best secret in the county. Welcome to the Addiction Recovery Place Podcast, James. It's great to have you join us today.

James Maines: Thank you, Chris.

Chris Langley: Really appreciate it. I know you're incredibly busy, James, with everything you've been doing, but we've got to get started on the first question. So can you tell us about yourself and how you began working at the Susquehanna Workplace Network?

Please.

James Maines: So I came into recovery nine years ago, and at that time I was a chef. I was working for an international company based out of [00:01:00] Massachusetts. I loved my job, at the same time, I just felt like there was just more. There was something more. I was going to work every day, but that's all I was doing was going to work.

It wasn't a fulfilling thing for me. I had considered leaving for a long time. As they say, "God does for us what we can't do for ourselves." COVID hit. It ended up shutting down the restaurant that I managed. So I had the opportunity to get into peer recovery work at a local hospital.

A friend of mine worked at, and I jumped in and loved it. I was able to connect with people that I wanted to help. It was a very forgotten population. The hospital that I worked at was a huge base of psychiatric patients. So there was always a [00:02:00] combo of that substance use and, behavioral health stuff that I was really interested in.

So I was able to fulfill that need, and I worked my way through the hospital there for several years. I left last October, went to a treatment center, a private treatment center, that was a PHP program, a partial hospitalization program. I was behavioral health tech there, and one day was reading through Indeed and seeing this ad for a new position that was being created for recovery friendly workplace in Maryland.

They were starting a program to encourage employers to hire from recovery to break the stigma, see recovery as a strength and not necessarily a downfall, or a moral break in someone's character. So I applied for it and was lucky enough to be able to interview for it. Got the position and, been [00:03:00] here since February.

Chris Langley: Goodness me. Firstly, congratulations from going from your work as a chef to now doing what you're doing. That's, incredible commitment. So no big congratulations to you there, James.

Thank you.

That

James Maines: Thank you.

Chris Langley: Amazing. Can you tell us about your role, and how you help your clients in the community, please, James?

James Maines: So I have a dual role with SWN. I work with the businesses to get them to sign up for the Recovery Friendly Program. And part of that, there's no financial gain for the company. They do it because they want to give back and help the community. We have a huge recovery population in my area, so a lot of the businesses are unaware of that.

It's an untapped resource, really, that until I tell them, the house up the street is also a recovery house, a lot of them have no [00:04:00] idea. And, that's, staffing that's, built into their community right there. Those guys want to work. We've got businesses that need the employees that are going to show up and be there and that's what I'm finding in the recovery community is people that want to work, they've had stumbling blocks and that they just need that opportunity and that chance to get back in it.

So I work with the businesses on that part. The flip side, I work with a lot of individuals as well. I visit a lot of treatment centers and do presentations to introduce the people to, to what we do at SWN. We're a nonprofit. We offer huge amounts of funding for trainings. If somebody wants to get a CDL license, they can come visit us, sign up for the program. It's very quick and easy, no out of pocket cost for the participant at all.

And we can coordinate [00:05:00] schooling for CDL. We have, people that are doing phlebotomy right now. We have people that do CNA training for nursing home staff and in home care and that kind of stuff as well. I really get to work with the entire community. I see as things are taken off, it's probably going to branch out where there'll be a person working with businesses and one working with the individuals.

But, I, love where I'm at because I'm in that spot where I get to, fully help somebody, and give a warm handoff to those businesses and put people in their hands for staffing.

Chris Langley: So you're involved with the whole community. So you speak to businesses, you speak to, addiction services. You're, doing the whole, service yourself.

James Maines: I do.

Chris Langley: Wow,

James Maines: Yeah. yeah, another advantage of having so much recovery and being in recovery myself is that [00:06:00] it's a close knit community and we tend to take care of each other. It's nice. I can, I've had businesses call me and say, Hey, I really need someone to start tomorrow on something and I can get on, social media and tap out and usually before that day is over, I can get someone, into a position at a job.

Chris Langley: I can imagine the businesses once they've worked with you and they understand what you offer the,

James Maines: yes,

Chris Langley: The scope is just incredible. so what's the geographical area on your state where you assist people, James?

James Maines: I am in the northeast corner of Maryland, right at the top of the Chesapeake Bay where the Bay meets the Susquehanna River, basically. Harford and Cecil is a a suburban area. We're like 40 minutes from Baltimore City, however, it's quite rural, lots of farm area, especially Cecil County is a huge farm area.[00:07:00]

It tends to be a spread out area, but like I said, loaded, with recovery. Bel Air is one of the bigger towns in Harford County, and you can't throw a rock without hitting a treatment center or recovery house. Like it's, really built itself up as being someplace to go. And people from all over, I'm seeing it, when I get to meetings and stuff, there's people from all over the country are coming to the area for recovery.

We also have, Ashley Treatment, which is a huge treatment outfit. that's in Havre De Grace. So It's it's on the map for recovery for sure.

Chris Langley: Why do you think that is?

James Maines: I think our being between, [00:08:00] Baltimore and Philadelphia, we're on that, what they used to call the heroin highway, which was I-95 between Philadelphia and Baltimore. I think it attracted people for a time period for the wrong reasons. And now it's turning around.

We've taken ownership as a recovery community. We've taken back that highway and made it a recovery highway.

Chris Langley: Yep, that's, wonderful to hear. That really is. That's incredible.

James Maines: Thank you.

Chris Langley: What are the roles that your colleagues do, and how many team members do you have working at your organization? Would you say,

James Maines: So right now, SWN has, I believe, about 50 employees total. We have the career centers, the Workforce Development Centers. In those, we have career specialists. our Havre De Grace office has a youth coordinator as well as adult service. The [00:09:00] youth coordinator handles anyone 18 to 24. The adult services are 24 and over.

They handle the actual, funding for individuals to get trainings for, it could be like I said, phlebotomy to nursing to CDL license is our big one. Same thing in our Elkton office, we have a youth coordinator as well as the adult. the Elkton location also has state representatives.

People that are collecting unemployment could come in for unemployment services and that kind of stuff. It's a lifeline to the community. A lot of stuff went virtual after COVID. People that are looking for a face to face interaction to answer questions, The Elkton office is always busy, and our offices also, we have computers, scanners, and, [00:10:00] printers and that kind of stuff as well. So people that are looking for jobs can come in and use those for free. All of our services are at no cost. In history, we've had people come in that, couldn't even afford, shoes for the nursing program.

We found the funding to be able to do that for them. People that are truly desperate and want to change their lives can come in and A to Z find services.

Chris Langley: Goodness me. Wow. it just sounds an amazing service. I'm blown away at hearing the scope of what you offer. The whole organization is are you funded?

James Maines: My program in particular, we're funded federally, from grants and from the state. My program is funded by SAMHSA for the state opioid response grants, which are SOAR grants for short. SOAR [00:11:00] looks at recovery in a complete way that from, medicated assisted treatment to aftercare to housing to social services.

The SOAR grants cover everything. The purpose is to meet whatever needs somebody in treatment or recovery may need. So the SOAR grants pick that stuff up, and that's how Recovery Friendly Workplace began, was from one of those SOAR grants. I also want to add in that SAMHSA, especially when they set up those grants, picked the top 10 states that had the most overdose issues and needs, and 15 percent of their budget immediately was [00:12:00] earmarked for those states.

They really made sure when they, set up the programs that the money goes to where it needs to go to and, where it's needed the most, which was important.

Chris Langley: very, important. You, touched on something earlier, James, the recovery friendly program. How does that work? That sounded fascinating to me.

James Maines: It gives a framework, for a business to be able to hire someone from recovery and to be able to meet their needs to, make sure it's a safe space. The two, high points of the program are to get overdose response training inside of the workplace to as many people as we can.

So far in the state, there are, three regions for the recovery friendly program. My region is the Susquehanna region, which is Harford and [00:13:00] Cecil. And then, we have another recovery friendly advisor that's in Western Maryland and one in St. Mary's County. Maryland, which is down the southern region.

Between us, we've so far, we've had overdose response trainings for about 200 individuals and all of those people leave with certifications in hand. Then, most importantly, Naloxone in hand. I've set up here in Harford and Cecil with Voices of Hope, which is a opioid, started as an opioid-based outreach program.

They've just blossomed into something that, it's one of those organizations, I can't imagine us not having in the region, especially, how things went with the opioid epidemic itself. I can't imagine not having that, for us here, but, I work alongside them. They provide the training as well as [00:14:00] the Naloxone for the individuals that complete the training.

For instance, we did Chesapeake Care Resources which handles housing and a day program for developmentally disabled. We went in and did a full staff training. That was one of the first ones I did, which was for almost 100 individuals. We did the program, and it's funny, Recovery Friendly kind of started out aimed at the individuals in recovery.

But, from that one training it, it helped take things in a different direction because there were so many family members of people who, were, in the midst of addiction and those family members didn't know what to do. I had two women in particular during the training that kind of came out that they had lost a child in recovery, to an overdose and had never talked about it at work because [00:15:00] they just didn't feel like their job was safe.

And, Chesapeake Care Resources joining the Recovery Friendly Program, help them see that there's other individuals, that lost children, that there's a whole support and resource network out there for them. That kind of brought home what I want to see with the Recovery Friendly Program, is that people who didn't think that they had anybody to turn to there's, a whole network. Eventually, we'll connect those businesses so that staff members from one business can, lean on another business as well and find those supports that they need.

Chris Langley: Yeah. you, mentioned something earlier, James, where you said that two mothers who had lost their children for overdose couldn't talk to people at work about this.

James Maines: this stigma?

Yeah, the, just the stigma. Yeah. [00:16:00] They, they were worried about being judged.

Chris Langley: Gosh.

James Maines: I think that as much as the, opioid epidemic has opened people's eyes, I think there's still is a little bit of, gosh, I guess people feeling like it's not in their area, and until it's too late and it's in your area.

Harford and Cecil has made great strides in taking care of each other. I wasn't sure, when I entered recovery, it wasn't something, I went to work and talked about right away. There was a little fear that there would be that judgment and that stigma happening.

When those moms shared that, that they had lost children. I was like, I can't imagine. I'm [00:17:00] very mouthy and very open now, so I can't imagine being in that situation where I can't even say to my co workers, my kid died. They kept that quiet and kept that, inside.

But, like I said, it brought forth what I wanted to see from recovery friendly. And, to drive home the fact that you don't have to have had a needle in your arm to be in recovery. There's the family members that suffer along just as much.

Chris Langley: We mentioned stigma, James. And how do you think we can move away from this to make sure that anyone needing to access a recovery program for their addiction can attend without having the feeling of stigma and rejection? There's this social elements around drug use or mental health issues that stops people entering treatment [00:18:00] because of community stigma. From what you've just told me with, your recovery friendly workplace program, this is really helping with this, which is just wonderful to hear. But how do you think as a society, we should be moving away from this and tell people into treatment because it just seems so outdated now.

James Maines: I think, education above all. I,

Chris Langley: That's a great answer.

James Maines: I think programs, not just recovery friendly, but I think programs that kind of introduce people. I tell everybody I work with, you don't have to tell everybody you're in recovery, but just know that is the most important thing that you can do is to tell people. "You know what, I'm an addict, I'm in recovery.

I used to be that person, [00:19:00] walking down the highway at, two in the morning, looking for money and looking for drugs. I'm not that person now." I think representation is super valuable. I've met, I used to hate it, but I do get a little jolt sometimes when someone says, "I can't believe you used to be an addict" and, I'm like, I correct.

I'm like, "first off, I'm always an addict. I could be right back on that street tomorrow," but I like that because it means that it got their attention, they saw that there is a change that there's that chance that anybody, anybody can go from addiction to recovery. t [00:20:00] I,always try to teach families especially about what treatment is. I think that's another important thing. We have the movie version of what treatment is, and then there's the real world, the real world version of, what treatment is and it entails a lot.

There's lots of different, methods to get from A to Z, and there's lots of roads. I try to I put together lots of packets. I'm a paper person. I like having papers to sit and read through. I try to do that for the families and stuff that I work with. I have a packet that explains every, what outpatient is, what inpatient is, what PHP programs are, what methadone programs are.

Like I said, I think educating people about what recovery really is is probably the most important. It's right in there with the [00:21:00] representation issue. I think it's important to represent.

Chris Langley: Absolutely. mentioned representation, James, and, I'd like to ask this because we had a podcast scheduled for last week, but we had to reschedule for a very obvious reason that I'd love to, I'd love you to tell our audience about why this was, please. Because we talk about representation. I think you're going to nail it with this answer, so please go ahead and tell us what you did last week, please.

James Maines: Yeah. part of the RFW program is getting Naloxone into workplaces. Construction right now is slammed with Drug use. Honestly, there's lots of overdoses on job sites that are happening. It's not something I was really aware of and until I started working with this program. One of the issues I, know people are going to want the connection, but, [00:22:00] a lot of construction workers get injured and they end up taking opioids.

The way things are set up now, those opioids eventually run dry, and unfortunately, a lot of them are cut off without any kind of treatment supports and they end up using illicit. They buy pills off the street or, they switch straight fentanyl. It's just one of those issues that I think hasn't been talked about enough.

Nonetheless, I had signed up online for a training, and one thing led to another and I was getting ready to do the podcast last week and I got a message in my email box that I was invited to the White House for a panel discussion about getting naloxone in the workplace.

And it was attended by hundreds [00:23:00] of nonprofits from all over the country. Dr. Gupta, Rahul Gupta was the Moderator for the event. We were able to sit and discuss what we're doing in our areas and be able to take some methods and be able to share those with each other was just phenomenal.

We had a couple celebrities that popped in, Robert De Niro being one. He lost his grandson to a, opioid overdose. And Samuel Jackson was the other, and he's been in recovery for, I believe he said, 18 years from crack cocaine. It goes back to the representation thing. It's hard sometimes for me to get someone to listen, but if Samuel L. Jackson says it, you're probably going to listen. Same with Robert De Niro, to have [00:24:00] that, that loss and to be able to turn it into a platform is just amazing. I spent last Tuesday at the White House and it was an excellent event. .

Chris Langley: It must have been quite a, almost surreal experience for you. It must have been like, wow,

James Maines: It is.

Chris Langley: Wow. Look at where I am.

James Maines: Yes, it's one of those things that after you get home and you decompress it's very chaotic. It's very busy. It's a secret service everywhere. Difficult to get in the building. Just as difficult to get out. But yeah, the next day looking through the pictures while you're decompressing, you're like, "Oh my God, that was real."

It's surreal is a perfect word to describe it.

Chris Langley: Big congratulations. When you sent me the email, I said to my wife and business partner, Maggie, I said, "Oh, that's as good of an [00:25:00] excuse as any to reschedule." It

really is.

James Maines: When I sent it, I was like, "Oh my God, is he going to believe me? Cause that doesn't even sound real."

Chris Langley: wonderful.

but yeah, it. Yeah, it was one of the best emails I've had in a

long time. So that really, did make our day and just acknowledging you well and your service and what you're bringing to your clients. That's a huge achievement, James. It really

is.

James Maines: You know what? I felt very blessed. The good thing about those events, part of me still has that childlike, "Oh my God, I'm going to the White House" kind of thing. But, to be able to sit down and talk to someone who runs a group, a nonprofit out of a food truck in Harlem is just, it's not an experience I'm going to have out here in Harford and Cecil. To see what other people are doing and, just the [00:26:00] grassroots, and the boots on the ground.

It's very easy for, politicians to design these programs, but then to see it from start to finish and from, writing on a piece of paper to myself and, Dr Felicia Pullen and Harlem, to see us enacting and working on those things, it blows my mind.

.

Chris Langley: Keep up the great work, James. It's

Thank you.

James Maines: Thank you.

Chris Langley: So last couple of questions for you. What, are the future plans you have for the Susquehanna Workplace Network?

James Maines: So right now, I'm getting businesses signed on. I've the individuals are here that are looking for jobs. So my focus right now is getting more businesses signed on. I take [00:27:00] full advantage of the multiple recovery places that we have around. Typically recovery establishments, treatment centers, that kind of thing hire from recovery.

Most of the staff when you walk in are people that have lived experience of some sort. I'm there to make that connection for them. So right now my focus is getting those businesses signed up. Getting them involved. it's

Chris Langley: Just keep doing what you're doing.

Always nice. Yeah, it's snowballs too,

exactly.

James Maines: Business, they're competitive. Business owners are competitive, and I can go in and say, "Hey, you've got a restaurant, this other restaurant signed up" and they're like, "where do I put my name?"

So it's good.

Chris Langley: Just keep doing what you're doing because it's clearly

much, much needed. I ask all of my guests this question, James, because I get some [00:28:00] very interesting and varied answers. But can you tell me what your opinion of harm reduction is and how it plays such a pivotal part in recovery?

James Maines: I started off my recovery, very abstinence based. I went to AA and then, moved on to NA. I didn't know a lot about harm reduction. I was not educated to it, and in turn, I, had a very closed mind about it. I'm not afraid to admit, I felt like people that took methadone and suboxone were still getting high, and I had a very skewed vision of what harm reduction meant. I do believe that's why I hold Voices of Hope so dear in my recovery because, from them, I've learned so much about what harm reduction is and [00:29:00] it's about saving lives. When you get right down to the bottom of it, it's about saving lives and if somebody needs to be on a medication. If my mother's diabetic, I wouldn't tell her, insulin's a cop out, lose weight, and I tell people that all the time, I'm like, you wouldn't tell someone with diabetes to do that.

You wouldn't tell someone with cancer, "stop eating all that fatty food and your stomach cancer is going to get better." So I, I look at it as it's, saving a life for today. If that strip of Suboxone or that dose of methadone, or you coming in and bringing me a dirty needle to get a clean one, if that saves your life for today, then that's the most important thing.

Chris Langley: There we go.

Perfect answer. Thank you so much for that, James. And one last question. You're a member of NAADAC. [00:30:00] Can you tell us about how being a member has benefited your career and your training?

James Maines: I love NAADAC. It's I didn't know anything about it. I'd heard about it when I worked at the hospital. I had done a couple trainings through them, but they have been such a support system. They have a huge conference coming up, and I'm not going to be able to attend this year, but, it is a goal to go next year.

But NAADAC offers so much support, not just on a national level, but on a state level. They have a huge state presence and boards. I believe in every state. The trainings that they offer are just, it's top notch stuff. It's up to date. The instructors are so unbelievably helpful.

And there's been lots of times I've sent a midnight email. I attended this, and I [00:31:00] can't stop thinking about it, and I need more information and they deliver. I've never been disappointed in the customer service aspect of NAADAC. I think it's important for all of us to have those ties and an easy way to connect with other individuals that are out there.

Chris Langley: Definitely. Most definitely. James, do you have a message for anyone listening to this podcast who is going through addiction or some mental health trauma at the moment?

James Maines: Yeah, I think it's important, not just because I'm in peer recovery, especially, but, peer recovery has become such a huge thing. And the good thing about that is that it's spreading into areas where help wasn't available before. To find that person that's in recovery [00:32:00] and listen to them.

So many people are concerned that they can't get medical help, and start light, find out what your resources are in your area and the supports, reach out to the health department is always a great place to start and, places like Voices of Hope that have peer, on staff and that kind of thing.

I'm finding that those kinds of organizations are really taking off, especially in rural areas, which is very promising. and just know that, recovery doesn't mean treatment, just because you're asking about recovery doesn't mean you're signing yourself up for 30 days of treatment.

There's a bunch of options out there to meet your needs.

Chris Langley: That's

right.

James Maines: There's [00:33:00] help for everybody, I believe.

Chris Langley: Awesome. Thank you, James. Last question. Can you tell our listeners how best to contact you and to find your service online?

James Maines: Yeah. Susquehanna Workforce Network has a website. I'm going to have to pull out my card. I should have had it ready. I'm embarrassed. Myself, I, work in Harford and Cecil County, so I am always available. you can connect with me, Jmains@swnetwork.org Our website is also swnetwork.org, and you can contact us through there.

Everybody's emails are listed on the website as well. I also have a phone number. I'm available for text, calls, whatever, at 443 866 6802. Although I'm in Maryland, don't hesitate to reach out. If somebody has a question and lives in a [00:34:00] different area, like I said, I've, met some people the past, week and a half.

You sure have.

I have some feelers out everywhere. So if somebody needs help in another area, don't hesitate to reach out, and I'm always glad to help. If I have to sit on the computer to find someone or resource out. Glad to do that. So

Chris Langley: James, it's been a real privilege and an honor to speak to you today. And the work you're doing,

your service is exceptional. It's been really amazing to hear about the scope of what you're doing because it's huge. It's the whole person. It's the whole life of someone that's that you're helping.

It's not just necessarily the addiction or the health issues, but it's the whole picture that you're doing and work and housing and employment is just, it's so important as well. And it's

Absolutely.

forgotten, but what you're doing, you're, delivering the service, and it's wonderful to hear that this is happening.

So thank you very much for everything that you do. Please send your [00:35:00] team my very best wishes, and it has been great having you talk today. Thank you so much.

James Maines: Will do. Thank you so much, Chris.

Chris Langley: Really appreciate it. Thanks, James.

Do, do, do, do, do.