REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - La Vida Hospitality announced it has been awarded for its commitment to supporting mental health and substance use recovery in the workplace, becoming the third restaurant in Delaware to earn a Gold-level award through the state’s Restaurant Accolade Program.
The program, run by the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH), awards restaurants that implement policies and training to support employees struggling with substance use. To achieve the Gold status, La Vida Hospitality put in place procedures to assist staff facing substance use challenges, trained employees to recognize and respond to overdoses, and made local recovery resources available within the workplace.
Anne Carr, Project Manager for the Restaurant Accolade Program, expressed her support for the initiative.
"I think it's great to be able to give people the tools to be able to help their community members that come into their restaurants every single day," said Carr.
According to DSAMH, the Restaurant Accolade Program is designed to provide tools and resources for businesses to create healthier, more supportive work environments, especially important in the restaurant industry, which has long faced high rates of substance use and overdose among its workforce
"It's a low barrier approach to reduce stigma and help the public learn about how to prevent an overdose, as well as teaching them other types of behavioral health prevention strategies," said Karen Records, chief of social determinants for DSAMH.
The division says, so far 278 restaurants in Delaware have received some level of recognition through the program. La Vida Hospitality is now among the few to reach the Gold tier, marking a significant milestone in promoting employee wellness and reducing stigma in the hospitality sector.
"I think that anything that takes away any kind of stigma and puts out in the open problems that there are solutions for is an advancement for any industry," said Kathy McDonald, director of development for Celebrate Wellness.
The Delaware Restaurant Association outlines three levels of recognition: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level has different requirements:
- Bronze level requires key staff to be trained in overdose education and naloxone administration. Also, have naloxone readily available on site.
- Silver level requires one to two staff members to be trained as "Peer Supporters" who can connect individuals struggling with addiction to available resources.
- Gold level involves implementing Human Resources policies that support staff dealing with addiction. Participants in this level will also be referred to the DRA online course.