It was a cold and grey New Hampshire day in early December when Natanya Champney, the HR coordinator for DCI, pulled up to the Headrest Residential Facility for substance use recovery on Church Street in Lebanon, NH.
She was on a mission.
Natanya and her crew were delivering fourteen beds, seven wardrobes, desks, task chairs, and a single kitchen table to Headrest’s home for folks recovering from substance use disorders.
Supporting Recovery In New Hampshire
Wait, doesn’t DCI serve the higher education and military markets?
Yes you’re right. That’s true.
However, we also support substance misuse recovery programs in New Hampshire through the following initiatives.
- The Governor’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative
- Compass House for Women in Recovery
- Headrest
Two years ago, in March 2019, DCI joined the Governor’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative (RFW).
Since then, we have supported residential facilities in New Hampshire who serve people recovering from substance use disorders.
For example, earlier in 2020, DCI furnished the Compass House for Women in Recovery in Laconia, NH. That was a prelude to our work with Headrest, which we expect to continue.
Substance Use Disorder In New Hampshire
How did all this start?
First, context. New Hampshire is ground zero for the opioid epidemic, ranking second behind West Virginia in fatal overdoses.
There are lots of reasons for this. According to an article on the epidemic in US News & World Report, New Hampshire’s insufficient treatment funding, the rural setting, and also NH’s high prescription rates all contribute to the regional opioid epidemic.
DCI’s primary manufacturing facility is nestled in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, an area impacted by high substance misuse issues. And the epidemic hits close to home for DCI in particular because we have staff who are directly impacted by it.
Because we have had employees suffering from substance misuse, we became a Recovery Friendly Workplace so that we could access and mobilize support resources for our staff.
Partnering with Headrest
During our quest to become a Recovery Friendly Workplace, we met Cameron Ford, Headrest’s Executive Director. Cameron provided workplace training to help us understand and integrate the RFW approach.
After becoming an RFW, we accepted a yearlong grant from Headrest to have a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC) at our facility once a week.
In the process, we learned more about Headrest’s programs and they learned more about our sustainable furniture manufacturing services. At a certain point, Cameron asked whether we could provide furniture to Headrest at cost for their residential treatment facility.
The organization was renovating their residential facility, which was furnished with old mismatched and donated items. Adding high quality furniture to the home would dignify the residents and the entire experience at the facility.
It worked out beautifully. Headrest received a grant from the Timken Foundation for the renovation and they included the furniture expense in their grant budget.
According the Headrest facebook page:
This improvement is part of a grand plan to renovate the entire house as part of our 50th anniversary (2021)! The custom-made bedroom furniture, made possible by a gift from The Timken Foundation, will help create a more efficient use of space in the bedrooms. Our 14-bed residential facility has remained open to new and existing clients during the entire pandemic. Heroes work at Headrest!
Commenting on Headrest’s partnership with DCI, Executive Director Cameron Ford said:
Headrest’s relationship with DCI through the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative created more than just benefits to the health and well-being of their workforce. We have developed a business relationship where DCI provided Headrest’s residential facility with new furniture for the clients of Headrest, which in turn improved the morale and health and well-being of our clients. These partnerships can change business culture.
Celebrating 50 Years
Since 1971, Headrest has supported individuals and their families, friends and neighbors affected by substance use, navigating recovery, or in crisis, by providing effective programs and treatment options that support prevention and long-term recovery.
This year, Headrest celebrates its 50-year anniversary. In addition to their low risk transitional sober living residence and other programs, they staff a 24/7 Crisis-Suicide Hotline that reportedly fields 10,000 calls per year relating to a variety of crises including depression/anxiety, substance use disorder, domestic violence and suicide ideation.
For DCI, it’s an honor to provide our services to organizations like Headrest while supporting our local community.
If you’d like to learn more about the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative or our work with residential facilities like Headrest, please contact Natanya Champney at: HR @ dcifurn.com.