Georgia Southern University awarded nearly $530,000 to launch statewide recovery-ready workplace initiative

August 4, 2025

Georgia Southern University’s Center for Addiction Recovery (CAR), housed within the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH), has been awarded a $529,144 grant from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) to launch the Georgia Recovery-Ready Workplace (GROW) Initiative. This transformative two-year project is designed to increase employment opportunities for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders and help employers across Georgia become more supportive of recovery in the workplace.

The GROW Initiative is a collaborative effort led by Robert Bohler, Ph.D., JPHCOPH assistant professor and CAR executive director, in partnership with the Georgia Council for Recovery (GC4R) and Augusta University’s School of Public Health. The project will implement a unique “hub-and-spoke” model, with GC4R serving as the central hub and at least 10 local recovery community organizations (RCOs) across Georgia acting as spokes to engage large employers in both rural and urban communities.

“Gainful and stable employment is one of the most powerful tools we have to support long-term recovery,” said Bohler, principal investigator of the GROW Initiative. “This project will not only help individuals overcome employment barriers but also equip employers with the knowledge and tools to foster recovery-ready environments.”

“Employment is a cornerstone of recovery, yet it’s often overlooked in public health responses to the opioid crisis,” said Ryan Lofaro, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Public and Nonprofit Studies at Georgia Southern University and co-investigator on the project. “Through GROW, we’re not only expanding access to meaningful work for individuals in recovery – we’re also creating workplace environments that actively support prevention, facilitate access to treatment and sustain long-term recovery.”

The initiative will:

·       Hire a full-time employment specialist to assist individuals in recovery with job placement, vocational training and overcoming legal and educational barriers.

 ·       Engage at least 10 large employers to become designated recovery-friendly workplaces.

 ·       Deliver comprehensive training to employers on topics such as addiction science, stigma reduction, recovery-oriented policies and the benefits of hiring individuals in recovery.

·       Develop a toolkit and website to support ongoing education and expansion of recovery-friendly workplaces in Georgia.

Given its combination of economic growth, workforce development priorities and a robust recovery community network, Georgia offers an ideal environment for launching this initiative. With 18 Fortune 500 companies and a growing number of large manufacturing sites, the state presents a powerful opportunity to align economic development with public health.

“Alcohol and drug misuse costs United States businesses over $81 billion per year (CDC),” said Laurisa Guerrero, GC4R executive director. “This initiative is intended to support both employees and the businesses that choose to participate. Building bridges between businesses and the recovery community will provide an added layer of support that so many people desperately need.”

Brian Kite, project manager for RCO development at GC4R and a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist, emphasized the importance of community involvement, stating, “This initiative is about more than just jobs — it’s about dignity, purpose and connection. By working directly with local RCOs, we’re ensuring that recovery support is rooted in the communities where people live and work.”

Aaron Johnson, Ph.D., associate dean for research and community engagement at Augusta University’s School of Public Health and a co-investigator on the project, will lead the evaluation and data collection efforts.

“GROW is a model that bridges public health, workforce development and recovery support,” Johnson explained. “Our team at Augusta University is proud to contribute to the evaluation of this innovative approach, which has the potential to be replicated nationwide.”

By embedding recovery support into the workplace and directly addressing employment barriers, GROW aims to improve individual recovery outcomes, expand access to meaningful work and serve as a national model for building and sustaining recovery-friendly workplaces. The GROW Initiative is actively seeking employers across Georgia who are interested in becoming part of this movement to support recovery, reduce stigma and strengthen their workforce.