GREAT FALLS — September is National Recovery Month, and a free statewide program is giving Montana businesses the tools they need to support workers dealing with substance use disorders.
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Recovery Friendly Montana offers support, resources, and training to any business or organization in the state, customizable for workplaces with as few as 2 employees up to those with as many as 1,500.
Shannan Sproull, executive director of Recovery Friendly Montana, said the need is significant.
"In Montana. There are, statistically speaking, over 90,000 individuals with a substance use disorder," Sproull said.
The program currently has 55 members across about 10 communities in the Treasure State. One of those members is Dynamic Recovery in Great Falls, which has been a Recovery Friendly Workplace since 2025.
Megan Farmer, executive director of Dynamic Recovery and a licensed professional counselor, said the program's value goes beyond the bottom line.
"It's not just about treating the people that we treat, but it's also about treating the counselors who work here, the staff who work here with respect and dignity," Farmer said.
With 26 employees specializing in offering recovery resources, Farmer said the financial case for becoming a recovery-friendly workplace is also clear.
"If your people are happy, everything goes better. They work harder. You know, they stay longer because turnover is expensive. And so if I treat my people well and they want to stay, then I save money in the long run," Farmer said.
Sproull said the program is designed to be flexible, not prescriptive, so it can work across industries.
"What it looks like at a construction company versus a restaurant versus a hospital, you know, versus a nonprofit, it's going to look very different in how you implement it; it's not prescribed. It's very flexible to reflect the organization's needs," Sproull said.
Dakota Watkins, a Dynamic Recovery employee working toward becoming a licensed addictions counselor, has been with the organization for about a month. She said the recovery-friendly environment is already making a difference.
"A bunch of my coworkers have gone through recovery personally, and there's never been any stigma centered around that. Dynamic Recovery has always been super supportive of that and really embraces what that means as an individual," Watkins said.
Sproull said getting started is straightforward. Businesses can reach out by phone or through the Recovery Friendly Montana website, fill out an intent form and complete an orientation. The organization also provides ongoing technical support.
"If they have some challenge, they can give us a call and say, 'Hey, we've got this going on, can you help us figure it out?' So we're here to sort of, sort of provide technical support as well as we go," Sproull said.
Farmer said the return on investment speaks for itself.
"If you really think about savings on the back end, it's a value-added proposition," Farmer said.
