|
What
Does Problem Drinking Cost Your Business?
Thursday,
August 5, 2004
2:00 PM Eastern Time
According
to the U.S. Department of Labor, alcohol is a contributing
factor in 39 percent of all work-related crashes,
costing employers a staggering $55 billion dollars
each year. When employees are involved in an alcohol-related
crash, businesses incur costs associated with absenteeism,
employee reassignments and training, health care,
worker’s compensation and disability benefits.
If the employee is found to be at fault for the crash
then employers can be held responsible for legal and
liability costs, increased insurance premiums, and
vehicle repair or replacement costs.
Alcohol-impaired
driving will affect one in three Americans during
their lifetime; these crashes kill someone every 30
minutes and injure someone every two minutes. To help
employers identify their risk, Dr. Goplerud, Director
of Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, a research
initiative at The George Washington University will
introduce the “Alcohol Cost Calculator”,
an online tool that customizes and calculates the
costs associated with employee alcohol abuse.
Since
the 1980’s there has been significant progress
in reducing drunk driving but in recent years, the
number of alcohol-related fatalities is once again
increasing. To lower the risk of impaired driving
crashes, Dr Thoma, an emergency physician, discusses
strategies available for use in the workplace to address
at-risk and alcohol dependent employees.
What
You Can Expect to Learn in this e-Seminar?
- The
magnitude and costs of alcohol-related crashes.
- How
to use the “Alcohol Cost Calculator”
to determine the scope of the problem in your workforce.
-
Strategies available to employers to address at-risk
or alcohol dependent employees.
-
Success stories from General Motors-United Auto
Workers and a federal employee initiative.
Both
presenters will be available following the seminar
presentations to respond to emailed questions from
participants.
Featured Presenters:
Eric
Goplerud, PhD is a Research Professor, Department
of Health Policy at The George Washington University
School of Public Health and Health Services. His policy
and research interests focus on improving access to
alcohol screening and treatment, integration of primary
health and behavioral healthcare services, performance
measurement in managed behavioral health, and public/private
quality improvement initiatives in behavioral healthcare.
Previously,
Goplerud was Associate Administrator for Quality and
Finance at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration
(SAMHSA). He was instrumental in negotiating with
the Office of Personnel Management for full parity
for alcohol, drug, and mental health treatment in
the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program. He also
managed SAMHSA's public and private sector managed
behavioral healthcare activities. While director of
the Division of Planning and Policy Implementation
at SAMHSA, he served on the Mental Health Workgroup
of the White House National Health Care Reform Task
Force, where he had lead responsibility for substance
abuse prevention. He has also held senior positions
at the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the
Division of Demand Reduction, Office of National Drug
Control Policy, Executive Office of the President.
Todd
Thoma, MD is an emergency physician and practices
at Louisiana State University as an Associate Professor
in the Department of Emergency Medicine and as Co-Director
of the Emergency Department Fast Track. He has dedicated
much of his professional career to reducing traffic
deaths and injuries. He has conducted thousands of
presentations promoting traffic safety to both high
school and college level students, as well as pre-hospital
professionals. In 2002, he was recognized for his
efforts and was selected for a Public Service Award.
He has also testified before the Louisiana state legislature
on numerous occasions; his most recent efforts led
to the reinstatement of the Louisiana motorcycle helmet
law. Since August of 2003, Dr. Thoma has been the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s
(NHTSA) Medical fellow. In this position, he is leading
the development of a continuing education course for
pre-hospital professionals teaching them the connection
between types of crashes and related injuries to improve
patient assessment and triage at the scene of the
crash. He has recently extended his fellowship at
NHTSA for a second year. Dr. Thoma earned his B.S.
degree at Louisiana Tech University and obtained his
M.D. from Louisiana State University.
|
Drive
Safely Work Week 2005