SEATTLE'S MORNING NEWS

Employer has unique solution to opioid crisis

Jun 3, 2018, 7:22 AM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 7:36 am

The CEO of an electronics company in Indiana figured he had a problem when 10-percent of the people applying for jobs at his factory failed the drug test. A handful of his current employees had failed drug tests, too.

The issue? The opioid epidemic was picking off his employees. And at this rate, according to CNN Money, he was having a hard time keeping up with manufacturing.

Instead of firing them, or passing on certain otherwise qualified applicants, he decided he’d show some compassion and offered to pay for drug addiction treatment.

High-risk users are put on an intensive two-month treatment program costing around $5,000, but it comes with a promise that the job is theirs if they manage to stay clean.

He started doing this in March and eight people have participated. Four were determined to be high-risk and entered the program and so far two have come back to work and have passed other drug tests.

sales tax...

KIRO Newsradio staff

King County Council approves sales tax increase without seeking voter approval

The King County Council approved a sales tax increase Tuesday to support children and families.

11 minutes ago

Associated Press

Dolly Parton’s multifaceted legacy showcased at Nashville museum and hotel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton’s longtime creative director, Steve Summers, designed hundreds of dresses and outfits for the late singer and entertainer every year, so he saw her in many stages of her career. “Every person in here has a different Dolly Parton that they are in love with,” Summers told a crowd of […]

12 minutes ago

mother arrested...

MyNorthwest Staff

Mother arrested in Edmonds in connection with death of 2-year-old child

A mother was arrested Tuesday in Edmonds in connection with the death of her 2-year-old child. The 44-year-old woman was booked on charges of first-degree manslaughter domestic violence, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Her 2-year-old child died in November 2022 in Lynnwood. Deputies responded to reports of an unresponsive child and performed lifesaving […]

33 minutes ago

Associated Press

Personal information for over 1 million people stolen in a cyberattack on Arizona’s court system

PHOENIX (AP) — A cyberattack on Arizona’s court system stole personal information for more than a million people and is believed to have started when a court employee clicked a malicious link in an email. The Arizona Supreme Court said the information was copied for 1.3 million people with unpaid court fees, fines and restitution […]

36 minutes ago

wa post office burglary...

MyNorthwest Staff

‘Tremendously disruptive’: Post office burglary crew targeted 5 WA counties; final defendant gets 18 months

The last of three South Sound region residents was sentenced to federal prison Monday for their involvement in a post office burglary scheme.

51 minutes ago

homelessness...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘They need to go away’: Jake calls for shutting down King County homelessness agency after records officer quits

KIRO host Jake Skorheim called for shutting down the King County Regional Homelessness Authority after its public records officer quit.

1 hour ago

Employer has unique solution to opioid crisis