Roger Williams Medical Center: News

"The Price We All Pay: Addictions in the Workplace"

Addictions take a toll on millions of Americans and their families every day. The impact is felt in homes and businesses everywhere. Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence Business News, and Rhode Island PBS have teamed up to explore the issue of addictions in the workplace .

The three institutions were awarded grants totaling $77,500 that they are using to raise awareness of the addiction problem and provide Rhode Island employers with tools to help their employees overcome their addictions. The campaign consists of a documentary to air on public television, an addiction resource guide, and a series of community workshops.

"Addictions in the Workplace: The Price We All Pay" is a half-hour
program exploring the impact and issues of substance abuse. The show first aired in May 2003 on Rhode Island PBS, the state's only public television outlet. It will be broadcast again on September 17. (See accompanying schedule to the right for more details.)

A community resource guide on addictions has been produced by Providence Business News for distribution to worksites. Providence Business News will also host a summit on September 25 at 8 p.m. at which a panel of experts will discuss the impact of addictions. In addition, a series of workshops on addictions in the workplace will be held at Roger Williams Medical Center.

The project was launched in October 2002, and is part of Sound Partners for Community Health, a national project of the Benton Foundation funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Sound Partners seeks to increase awareness of specific health issues and encourages citizen involvement in decisions that affect their health care.

For more information on the partnership, call (401) 456-2323.

Schedule of Events:

Rhode Island PBS broadcast times:
Wednesday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. (includes a live call-in) - Video tapes are available at 401-222-3636

Providence Business News panel discussion:
Thursday, September 25 at 8:00 p.m. on Rhode Island PBS.

Wednesday, October 1 at 2 p.m. on Rhode Island PBS

Roger Williams Medical Center workshops: (Workshops are free and refreshments will be served. Seating is limited so call 456-2323 to reserve your space.)

Wednesday, October 22, noon to 1 p.m.

Thursday, October 30, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Wednesday, November 5, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 12, noon to 1 p.m.