Northwest Michigan workforce organization aims to be a friend to those in recovery

What’s happening: A Northwest Michigan economic and community development organization has announced itself as a friend to its neighbors in recovery. Networks Northwest and its workforce development program Northwest Michigan Works! have recently made that support official, having recently received an official design as a Recovery Friendly Workplace.

What it is: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Public Health Institute launched their Michigan Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative in May 2025, a statewide effort encouraging employers to create supportive work environments for those employees in recovery from substance abuse.

What it means: “Our Recovery Friendly Workplace designation is about more than policy – it’s about people,” says Jessica Willis, director of Northwest Michigan Works! “For years, our teams have worked side by side with individuals in recovery. This designation simply continues and strengthens the values we’ve always upheld – support, dignity, and opportunity.”

How they did it: The Recovery Friendly Workplace designation was achieved, in part, by the organization fortifying those values. It included an expansion of recovery awareness, strengthening connections to community resources, and reinforcing its own culture of compassion and inclusion. It’s a culture, the organization notes, that supports self-sufficiency, sustainable employment, and overall well-being.

In action: The life-saving Nalozone (NARCAN) medication can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses and free distribution boxes have been installed at each of the Northwest Michigan Works! Service Centers in Cadillac, Manistee, Petoskey, and Traverse City.

“Installing Naloxone boxes is a simple but powerful extension of our values,” says Lisa Schut, Regional Director of Policy and Resource Management at Networks Northwest. “It’s a visible reminder that every life matters, and that our Service Centers are places where people can find help and hope without judgment.”