Pennsylvania construction industry joins effort to combat opioid addiction
Updated: 5:56 PM EDT Jul 16, 2026
Pennsylvania state officials are focusing on the impact of opioid addiction on blue-collar workers, particularly in the construction industry, through a partnership with the Keystone Contractors Association (KCA) and the state’s “Life Unites Us” campaign. Industry response”Our industry has been hit hard by substance use disorder, and we are committed to creating a better future for our workforce in Pennsylvania,” said Jon O’Brien, executive director of KCA. State leaders said the “Life Unites Us” campaign has already reached millions of Pennsylvanians. By bringing KCA, a membership organization of about 100 companies, into the initiative, the message is being delivered directly to an industry where it is critically needed. Recovery and workplace support”I hid my substance abuse for years, but it wasn’t until I sought help that my life began to change,” said Randy Winder of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy. KCA has been working to provide naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, to job sites across the state. The organization is now part of a larger effort to make construction workplaces safer, more supportive, and recovery-friendly.
Pennsylvania state officials are focusing on the impact of opioid addiction on blue-collar workers, particularly in the construction industry, through a partnership with the Keystone Contractors Association (KCA) and the state’s “Life Unites Us” campaign.
Industry response
“Our industry has been hit hard by substance use disorder, and we are committed to creating a better future for our workforce in Pennsylvania,” said Jon O’Brien, executive director of KCA.
State leaders said the “Life Unites Us” campaign has already reached millions of Pennsylvanians. By bringing KCA, a membership organization of about 100 companies, into the initiative, the message is being delivered directly to an industry where it is critically needed.
Recovery and workplace support
“I hid my substance abuse for years, but it wasn’t until I sought help that my life began to change,” said Randy Winder of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy.
KCA has been working to provide naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, to job sites across the state. The organization is now part of a larger effort to make construction workplaces safer, more supportive, and recovery-friendly.