Anastasia Barnes, CEO of High- Profile Monthly, recently interviewed John Christian, president and CEO of Modern Assistance, about the challenges construction and trades workers face regarding substance use and mental health, how Modern Assistance is supporting those industry workers, and what employers and industry leaders can do right now to better support their teams.

Anastasia Barnes: Can you start by sharing your journey into this work? What drew you to the field of recovery and employee assistance programs?

John Christian: I got sober in July of 1991. Soon after, I realized that I had the desire to work with others. Not only did I believe it was the right thing to do, it also helped to ensure another day of recovery for me. I have worked in this field for almost 35 years. I have worked in correctional settings and in homeless shelters for the City of Boston. Fifteen years ago, I had the opportunity to come work at Modern Assistance. A dear friend of mine, Paul McDavid, had founded this company. Paul ran it with the motto,“ If God chooses to send someone to my door, who am I to turn them away.” I opted to continue to run the company with that motto. Modern Assistance is a union company that works with over two dozen building trade union members and their families. We provide substance abuse and mental health counseling and services.

John Christian

AB: In your experience, what are the biggest challenges construction and trades workers face regarding substance use and mental health, and why is this issue often hard to address?

JC: The construction trades have some very specific things that set them apart from other occupations. The first one is that people are likely to get injured at some point during their career. I start off from the time members are apprentices and tell them that it is their responsibility to ask a doctor these questions:“ What are you prescribing me? Is it addictive? What are the side effects? Is there an alternative?” I remind people that someone working in the trades has to depend on their physical health. Too often we hear the story of someone being prescribed opioids, they develop tolerance, get addicted, and the next thing we know they are buying them illicitly, including fentanyl. The overdose rate is incredibly high for people in the construction trades. The other issue in

the construction trades is that there was always a pending layoff somewhere in the future. What that means is people work very long hours and minimize days off so they can get as much work as possible when it is available. That puts stress on the body and the individual.

AB: Modern Assistance has become a key resource in this space. How does your approach differ from traditional support systems, and what makes it effective for this workforce?

“ Availability of help and an immediate response really sets us apart. We also have a unique intimate understanding of the building trades which is what we have specialized in for the four decades we have been in existence.”

JC: What has always set Modern Assistance apart is that we employ our own masters level clinicians. Twenty-four hours a day, if a member or dependent calls us, they speak directly with the clinician. There is no long waiting period for a referral. There is no co-pay and there is no deductible. We have clinicians on staff 24 hours a day. We go to job sites and do trainings. We go to union halls and do trainings. We do everything we can to help members understand that we are here to help. Modern Assistance was founded 40 years ago. With some union trades we are on the third generation. Availability of help

and an immediate response really sets us apart. We also have a unique intimate understanding of the building trades which is what we have specialized in for the four decades we have been in existence.

AB: As we recognize Recovery Week with the Building Trades Employers’ Association( BTEA), what does real progress look like to you? What can employers and industry leaders do right now to better support their teams?

JC: Tangible progress to me is when employers have an understanding that addiction is a disease – that they are willing to let employees go to treatment and return to work. If someone does not have the hope of returning to work, it can be very difficult to help them continue into recovery. What I think Recovery Week has done has publicized that addiction and mental health are treatable. Employers have become more involved with supporting employees who go to treatment. Anything that we can do to destigmatize substance abuse and mental health goes a long way to improving the quality of life for workers and their families. The more that employers understand this and have a willingness to work with people, the more likely someone with an issue is to come forward. Most often employers realize that an employee who goes to treatment comes back as a much better employee. We have seen employers make huge progress in this area over the years and Recovery Week has been an integral part of that process.

Westborough, MA – Joseph A. Barra announced he has opened a new construction law firm, the Law Office of Joseph A. Barra, PLLC.

For the last 35 years, Barra’ s practice focused on representing owners, contractors, design professionals, subcontractors, construction managers and other members of the built environment both private and public. His work centered on transactions, dispute advocacy and project counseling. Over the last 15 years, he has also built a construction neutral practice, helping all members of the construction industry resolve disputes as an arbitrator, mediator and most recently, a trained member of the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation. Barra says he looks forward to continuing that legacy, and that his new slogan, Building Legal Solutions Together, is

Joseph A. Barra intended to reflect the idea that as a counselor in construction law, the best results are typically achieved through the prism of a problem solver.

Beverly, MA— Connolly Brothers Inc. recently completed a design-build fit-up project for CrossCountry Mortgage, a new tenant at 138 Conant Street in Beverly.

The scope of this project involved renovating existing office space on the second floor of the 4-story building. Fitup included a new reception area, offices, conference and meeting rooms as well as a modern, open office area equipped with new workstations. The project also involved updating an existing employee break room.

“ This project was completed through a coordinated team effort and consistent execution,” said Connolly Brothers vice president of real estate / development, Thad Minshall.“ We are pleased to welcome CrossCountry Mortgage, an industry leader in retail mortgage lending, to its new location at 138 Conant Street.”

CrossCountry Mortgage

Connolly Brothers served as both architect of record and construction manager. The project team also included D & D Electrical Contractors, Inc.; Enterprise Flooring Inc.; Legacy Building Systems, LLC; and North Shore Mechanical Contractors, LLC.

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