CONFERENCE ON THE PROBLEM OF DRUG ADDICTION

12/10/2017

1ST CONFERENCE ON THE PROBLEM OF DRUG ADDICTION IN THE WORLD OF WORK ORGANIZED BY UOCRA

GERARDO MARTINEZ: "IT IS IMPORTANT THE TRAINING OF OUR DELEGATES IN THE APPROACH OF THESE TOPICS TO PERFORM A TASK OF PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION AT WORKPLACE SO AS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE INTEGRAL HEALTHCARE OF OUR WORKERS"

UOCRA Multidisciplinary Team of Prevention of Addictions conducted its 1st Conference on the Problem of Drug Addiction in the World of Work with the participation of different people with proven experience in the field of addictions.
Under the motto Strategies and Prevention Models, Father Jose "Pepe" Di Paola; Dr. Andre Blake, Director of Mental Health and Addictions of the Ministry of Health of the Nation; Dr. Ernesto González, Director of the Argentine Center for the Prevention of Addictions at Work; Dr. Juan del Pozo Irribarria (Spain), author of the Manual on Addictions at Work; Dr. Roberto Moro (SEDRONAR), Ms. Carmen Bueno, graduate specialist of the ILO´s Occupational Health and Ms.  Ximena Merlo, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security of the Nation, among others, showed their viewpoints and experience.
The closing was in charge of Gerardo Martinez, UOCRA Secretary General who stressed " It is important the training of our delegates in the approach of these topics to perform a task of prevention and early detection at workplace so as to contribute to the integral healthcare of our workers."
He added that "addictions affect our societies crosswise, without distinction of social classes, although their impact is most visible in the most socially vulnerable sectors, including workers. And our responsibility, as a Trade Union open to community is to get involved to contribute to the eradication of this problem."
Finally, Gerardo Martínez highlighted and thanked the presence of Father Pepe on this day and the experiences he provided to this initiative developed by UOCRA: "Father Pepe is a basic pillar in the prevention and fight against addiction, especially among the youngest and neediest populations of our society. I want to thank him for his commitment, collaboration and contribution of experiences to the actions we are developing in UOCRA on this matter."

Father Pepe, during his speech said that: "the problem of addiction affects society as a whole and the workplace is not an exception. The role of delegates is vital to raise awareness, recover an addicted worker and avoid consequences or risks at work", and added, from his experience in poor neighbourhoods: "the context in which we live is important. Boys from slums that had some kind of addiction and who manage to get a job, have the possibility of progress, get skilled and do not fall back into addiction. "The role of a slum priest is to assist and advise the kids of these villages, providing pastoral and social support."