Recovery doesn’t stop at the front door of a treatment center. For many people, it continues every single day — at the grocery store, at family dinners, and especially at work. The workplace is one of the most influential environments in a person’s recovery journey, and it can either support that journey or quietly undermine it.
At Hygea Healthcare, we believe in showing up for recovery in every way we can. That’s why we’re proud to share that we’ve been designated a Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) by the State of Maryland for 2025–2026 — a recognition that reflects not just a certification, but the values our entire team shows up with every day.
What Is a Recovery Friendly Workplace?
The Recovery Friendly Workplace program is a statewide initiative administered by the Maryland Department of Labor, funded through the Maryland Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration. Its purpose is to help businesses support employees and their broader communities through the experience of addiction — at no cost to participating employers.
At its core, the RFW model is a framework for employers to support employees and communities around the experience of addiction. The framework recognizes recovery from substance use disorder as a strength, and employers that participate intentionally engage and hire people in recovery, foster healthy and safe working environments, and encourage collaboration among employees and community members to create positive change.
Maryland’s RFW program uses a tiered approach, allowing employers to engage with the model at a pace that fits their current capacity. To earn designation, employers must complete a survey, connect with a local Recovery Friendly Advisor, and commit to activities across one of four tiers.
Earning this designation isn’t just filling out a form. It’s a commitment — to our staff, to the people we serve, and to the broader Maryland recovery community.
Why This Designation Matters to Us
Hygea Healthcare was founded on the belief that addiction is a medical condition, not a moral failure. That belief doesn’t just inform how we treat patients — it shapes how we operate as an organization.
We know that many of our team members have personal connections to addiction and recovery. Some are in recovery themselves. Others have watched a family member or close friend struggle. That lived experience isn’t something we ask people to leave at the door — it’s something we consider a profound asset. People who have navigated recovery bring a depth of empathy, resilience, and understanding to this work that can’t be taught in a classroom.
The Recovery Friendly Workplace designation formalizes what we already believe: that recovery is something to support openly, not manage quietly.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Being a Recovery Friendly Workplace means more than having a good policy on paper. Designated RFW employers are required to conduct staff training on overdose response and naloxone administration, maintain naloxone on-site, provide stigma-reducing programming for all staff, and post information about available resources — including health and wellness programs, employee resource groups, and peer recovery support.
At Hygea, these aren’t boxes we check. They’re part of how we operate. Our team is trained in overdose response. We talk openly about substance use disorder — not just with patients, but among ourselves. We prioritize a culture where someone struggling doesn’t feel like they have to hide it.
That culture starts with leadership and runs through every role in the organization. A front desk employee who treats a patient with warmth at their lowest moment matters just as much as a clinician. An administrator who creates space for a colleague going through a hard time matters. Recovery culture isn’t a department — it’s a practice.
The Business Case (and Why We Think It’s Secondary)
We want to be clear: Hygea didn’t pursue this designation because of what it does for us as a business. We pursued it because it’s the right thing to do.
That said, the data is worth sharing, because it challenges a common misconception that supporting employees in recovery is a liability. Research shows that workers who are in recovery actually have fewer unscheduled absences than their peers with no substance use disorder — 8.3 days compared to 10.5 days, respectively. People in recovery are often self-aware, resilient, compassionate, dedicated, and understanding.
The stigma around hiring people in recovery is not supported by the evidence. And for organizations willing to look past it, there is an enormous pool of committed, capable people who deserve the chance to build a career alongside their recovery.
What This Means for the People We Serve
There’s something important about a treatment center holding this designation — and it goes beyond internal culture.
When someone comes to Hygea for help, they’re often at one of the most vulnerable points in their life. They may be scared of judgment. They may have been turned away elsewhere, or treated as less-than. They may be wondering whether recovery is even possible for them.
Walking into a Recovery Friendly Workplace — one that has made a formal, public commitment to supporting people in recovery — sends a message before a single word is spoken: you are welcome here, and you are worth fighting for.
That message matters. Research consistently shows that stigma is one of the biggest barriers to people seeking treatment. Every workplace, business, and community that openly embraces recovery culture helps chip away at that stigma — and that has real, life-saving consequences.
An Invitation to Other Maryland Employers
We share this designation not to celebrate ourselves, but to invite others into this work.
If you’re a Maryland employer — of any size, in any industry — we encourage you to explore the Recovery Friendly Workplace program through the Maryland Department of Labor. The program is free, the support is real, and the impact on your team and community can be significant. The program assists businesses with supporting their employees and broader community through the experience of addiction by offering guidance and connections to behavioral health resources at no cost.
You don’t have to be a healthcare organization to care about recovery. You just have to be willing to show up.
We’re Proud. We’re Committed. And We’re Just Getting Started.
Receiving the Maryland Recovery Friendly Workplace designation for 2025–2026 is an honor — but it’s also a responsibility. It’s a commitment we renew every day through the way we treat our patients, support our team, and show up for the Maryland communities we serve.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, Hygea Healthcare is here. Our team offers medically supervised detox, individualized treatment, and compassionate care across multiple Maryland locations — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Call us at 410-512-9525 or verify your insurance online. Recovery is possible. And you deserve a team that truly believes that.