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Chair
Staff Liaison |
Recent Activity
Dr. Paul Handel, Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Health Care Service Corporation, retired March 31, after serving as Chair since October 2010. Vivian Smith-Del Toro, Vice President of Operations, Business and Industry Solutions, Sodexo, has been appointed to Chair by Board Chair Scott Swanson.
The Committee’s theme is behavioral economics and behavioral health that result in fundamental behavior modification with emphasis on addictive behaviors. In cooperation with the Illinois Dept. of Human Services Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, the Chamber aims to have companies take positive action regarding workplace alcohol and drug abuse prevention.
The Chamber accepted this challenge because these actions are important to about 10% of workplace talent. The Chamber understands the stigmas that make business leaders uncomfortable with bringing substance abuse prevention into the company culture.
Committee members met January 25 and March 15 to plan 2013 activities. The Committee would like to host a 3rd Annual Office Party in November 2013. In addition to offering tips for hosting safe and healthy celebrations, members are looking for celebrity hosts that would be of interest to guests or have demonstrations on how to prepare the healthy foods being served. Members are also looking for an event similar to the Sloan Awards Celebration of the past to plug its message into.
Objective
The goal is to develop the capacity with the business leadership sector to reduce excessive consumption of, consequences from, and contributing factors to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, with emphasis on alcohol and other drugs. The Workplace Well-Being Committee’s vision is to enable small and medium for-profit and non-profit enterprises to have workplaces free of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and free of the safety, productivity and morale issues they cause. The objective is for the Committee and staff to offer solutions that employers implement to improve workplace well-being with addiction prevention practices and services because they understand there are health and talent returns on their investments.
Action Plans
• Exhibit at the June 4 Northern Illinois Employee Assistance Professionals Conference to let attendees know what the Chamber offers for worksites without EAP services. Feedback will be collected on the refreshed message that will be a full page in the Conference program book.
• Convene business leaders at receptions, workshops and roundtables to focus on taking action and carry the “take action” message to other organizations’ special events.
• Provide workshop presenters and free pamphlets to companies offering employee education and awareness about substance misuse, abuse, addiction and available behavioral health resources
• Circulate the “take action” message through electronic and hard copy media.
Committee
• Terry Cahill, VP Sales & Marketing, Perspectives Ltd
• Tom Ciccotti, Sr. Vice President of Sales, CHC Wellness
• Gary Cohen, Co-President, Employee Resource Systems
• Opella Ernest, M.D., VP Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
• William Heffernan, Co-President, Employee Resource Systems
• Brad Jones, President, SafeScreener
• Alberto Ortega, Director of Community Relations - Diversity and Inclusion, Sodexo
• Amy (Levell) Ponce, Outreach Manager, Hazelden Foundation
• Bob Poznanovich, Exec. Director Business Development, Hazelden Foundation
• Frank Severino, Sales Manager, Gateway Foundation
Please visit the Workplace Addiction Prevention Services page.
Last Updated on 2013-03-27 11:19:33.548
