“When somebody comes forward or has been identified as someone that’s struggling with opioids or addiction, regardless of the substance, we work with them (so they) better understand their treatment options and help them to connect with the treatment community,” McKenney said. The change came about after Hypertherm consulted organizations in the recovery community and others about the trajectory of recovery and how it is often accompanied by starts, setbacks and restarts. “The fact that they had to leave and lose support of the system, what that means to financial stability and things of that nature, was not helping the situation.” If somebody tested positive, they were clearly struggling, and losing their job wasn’t helping that,” McKenney said. “We took a different look at what health meant because we didn’t feel good at the end of the traditional substance misuse agreement. Now, after internal review and consulting with the recovery and health care community, Hypertherm has written a new substance misuse agreement that allows the employee to continue working at the company even in the event of a relapse, providing he or she is still taking the necessary steps toward recovery. It’s become a real serious issue for us in the last three years.” “We’ve lost a couple of dear associates that struggled with addiction and eventually gave their lives up to it. “Hypertherm has suffered some real tragedies at the expense of opioids,” said McKenney, now a workforce development manager. Instead, the purpose was to raise awareness among managers of the growing problem of opioid addiction and to roll out a bold change in how the company would be dealing with employees who are in the clenches of the disease. They didn’t gather to hear about a banner year in Hypertherm’s sales or a breakthrough in advanced plasma-cutting technology or yet another survey showing how the manufacturer is one of the best companies to work at in New Hampshire. This March - around the time when melting snow revealed discarded syringes on the sidewalk outside Hypertherm’s building - the company summoned 140 leaders to a summit at the Heater Road plant in Lebanon. “We certainly didn’t feel like we helped that person … There was something missing. “I had to do that a couple times,” McKenney, 43, recalled. If subsequent testing revealed employees had relapsed, they would be fired, regardless of how hard they might have been working to get healthy. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Michael Dennis Hoffa, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.Lebanon - It was just a few years ago when Matt McKenney, working as a generalist in the human resources department at Hypertherm, found himself among the people who had to enforce the company’s policy on substance abuse.īack then, the Hanover-based manufacturer of plasma- and laser-based cutting technology required employees who violated the company’s zero-tolerance policy to sign a “substance-misuse agreement” in which they consented to receive treatment and stay clean. Memorials are preferred to the Parkinson's Foundation 200 SE 1st Street Suite 800 Miami, FL 33131, And the American Cancer Society Memorial Donations 2 Commerce Dr. Michael was preceded in death by his father, Gerald “Jerry” Hoffa, mother Marilyn “Colleen” Hoffa, brothers Gregory “Greg” Hoffa and David “Dan” Hoffa and a daughter Alexandria Ray HoffaĪt the Ricker Funeral Home, visitation will be held Friday, February 9 th, 400pm – 7:00 pm and a memorial service will be held Saturday, February 10 th at 1:00pm. He is survived by his wife, Annette Hoffa daughter Samantha (Jason) Doering of Denver CO daughter Audrey (Kevin Sullivan)Hoffa of Lebanon NH grandchildren Kevin Sullivan, Tyler Sullivan, Abigail Sun, Ashley Doering, Eleanore Doering, Ella Brown and sister Belinda (Kevin) Loux. Michael enjoyed all moments spent with his children and grandchildren, had a standing date with his daughter Samantha to attend rock concerts and was an avid walker, frequently spotted, rain or shine, counting his steps around Lebanon wearing his yellow jacket and back pack. He was employed by the FMC Link Belt and Wellhead divisions, Lincoln Electric and was employed by Hypertherm for the past 20 years. Michael partook college classes to earn his Electrical Engineering degree at Iowa State and the University of Houston and earned his Electrical Engineering masters in 1996. In August of 1975, he married Annette Wolf in Delhi, IA. He lived in Pomona CA as a child before moving to Cedar Rapids, IA where he graduated from Kennedy High School in 1973. Michael Dennis Hoffa, 62, of Lebanon New Hampshire unexpectedly died Saturday, February 3 rd, in his home of a heart attack.
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