Gov. Tate Reeves has proclaimed September 2026 as “Substance Abuse Recovery Friendly Workplace Month” with the goal of highlighting the role employers can play in supporting people recovering from addiction while strengthening the state’s workforce.
The proclamation recognizes the Mississippi Recovery Friendly Workplace Coalition, a group created by the Mississippi Business Alliance Foundation to help employers address the workforce impact of substance use disorder.
The coalition is made up of business leaders, health experts, and substance abuse professionals. It provides employers with education, training, policy, guidance, workplace assessments, and connections to treatment, recovery, workforce, and community resources.
The initiative is designed to help businesses create workforce benefits of recovery-friendly employment practices, including increased workforce participation, improved employee retention, reduced workplace risks, and greater access to resources for employees and their families.
Mississippi’s initiative is part of a growing national Recovery Friendly Workplace movement that encourages employers and state and community partners to develop healthier, safer, and more productive workplaces.
Throughout September, the Mississippi Recovery Friendly Workplace Coalition will encourage employers, workforce organizations, and community partners to learn more about recovery-friendly employment practices and ways they can support people entering or returning to the workforce.
The coalition says recovery-friendly workplaces are not intended to lower workforce standards. Instead, the initiative is designed to give employers tools and community connections to respond to substance use and recovery while maintaining safety, accountability, productivity, and business performance standards.
The Mississippi Business Alliance Foundation established the coalition to help businesses strengthen their workforce, retain employees, address workplace risks associated with substance use, and create pathways for people in recovery to successfully participate in the workforce.
