Belden Recognizes One-Year Anniversary of “Pathways to Employment” with Program Expansion and CEO Pledge

Belden Inc., a global leader in signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, is proud to announce the expansion of its Pathways to Employment program to two Belden brands: PPC Broadband in Syracuse, New York and West Penn Wire in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Pathways to Employment is a community-based solution blending drug-rehabilitation with the promise of employment for new and existing workers willing to lead drug-free lives. Begun as a pilot program in Belden’s Richmond, Indiana facility in February 2018, our employees are delighted by what has been achieved for their community in just one year. To date, 29 individuals have entered the program. Of these, 13 have graduated to demanding machine-operating positions, six are currently in safety-sensitive roles, two are in the assessment phase and eight have left the program.

“I’ve often said, stigma is our biggest killer and a significant barrier to solving our public health problems,” said U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams. “We must shift the way we think about, talk about, and act towards people with substance use disorders. Pathways to Employment, is an example of how businesses can play a big role in addressing the opioid crisis in their communities and in the workplace.”

"Congratulations to Belden for their dedication to recovery for Hoosiers. By taking an approach that instills hope, combats stigma, and utilizes evidence based treatment, they have achieved extraordinary success in just one year. We are honored to be partners and to learn from their successes,” said Jennifer Walthall, MD MPH, Secretary Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.

The program’s expansion in Syracuse and Washington will leverage the Belden Blueprint, a tool available to any entity wishing to replicate the program. The Blueprint lays out an implementation path utilizing the data and learnings from the Richmond pilot, including the importance of community partnerships, transparent communication, culture and leadership.

“Employers need workers and people with substance use disorder need opportunities to work,” said Indiana Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement Jim McClelland. “Belden’s innovative Pathways to Employment program is helping people in Indiana and serves as a model for workforce recovery.”

When initially faced with challenges driven by increased pre-employment drug screen failures and a shrinking labor pool of manufacturing workers, Belden’s leadership felt a responsibility to take action. To show his support for the ongoing fight against drug addiction and to encourage other organizations to take action, Belden President, CEO and Chairman John Stroup also this week signed the CEO pledge to end opioid addiction.

The pledge – begun by Leidos CEO Roger Krone – calls on the private sector to utilize their considerable levers of power to create a workplace where it is safe to have uncomfortable, and often difficult, conversations about addiction; to help educate employees about the dangers of prescription opioids; and to support nonprofit organizations dedicated to building drug-free communities and preventing addiction.

“I am thrilled that in just one year, Belden has been able to make a significant impact on the problem of addiction in our Richmond community,” said John Stroup. “But our work has only begun. By expanding Pathways to other Belden facilities and pledging our commitment to help end opioid addiction, we hope to show that innovative solutions and business and community involvement across all sectors is key to combatting this terrible epidemic.”

For more information about the program, visit http://www.belden.com/pathways-to-employment.

About Belden

Belden Inc., a global leader in high-quality, end-to-end signal transmission solutions, delivers a comprehensive product portfolio designed to meet the mission-critical network infrastructure needs of industrial and enterprise markets. With innovative solutions targeted at reliable and secure transmission of rapidly growing amounts of data, audio and video needed for today’s applications, Belden is at the center of the global transformation to a connected world. Founded in 1902, the company is headquartered in St. Louis and has manufacturing capabilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com or follow us on Twitter @BeldenInc.

Belden, Belden Sending All The Right Signals, the Belden logo and Pathways to Employment are trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of Belden Inc. or its affiliated companies in the United States and other jurisdictions. Belden and other parties may also have trademark or service mark rights in other terms used herein.