WASHINGTON – Last week, the House Committee on Small Business held a full committee hearing on how the opioid crisis is affecting small business, specifically the decline in the labor force participation rate. The discussion included Katie Van Dyke, Director of Cleveland State University’s Ohio Small Business Development Center, as outlined by Cleveland.com below:

“The opioid crisis poses major challenges to small businesses in Ohio as employers in rural and urban areas alike have trouble finding workers who can pass drug tests, the director of Cleveland State University's Ohio Small Business Development center on Thursday told a congressional committee...

“Van Dyke noted that opioid overdose deaths increased 39 percent in Ohio from 2016 to 2017, and many of the deaths were not stereotypical "junkies." She said unintentional drug overdoses that may have started as a prescription for a surgery or injury cost an average of $5.4 million each day in medical and work loss costs in Ohio alone…

“The committee's chairman, Cincinnati-area GOP Rep. Steve Chabot, said many young working age Americans aren't looking for jobs because of opioid addiction, making it harder for businesses to fill important openings. A recent report by the National Safety Council estimated that more than 70 percent of U.S. employers have been affected by prescription drug use, said Chabot.

“Chabot said his committee will use the material it collected at the hearing to examine ways the federal government can help small businesses find ways to help their workers…”