One of the largest nursing homes in its region, this facility meets the needs of residents by specializing in full time physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapies, and has been providing the highest quality long term care, rehabilitative and restorative services to residents since the 1960’s.

Pre-employment testing is critical to staffing and sustaining a drug free workplace.
The company’s goal is to provide nursing home residents with the best care possible, by hiring only the highest quality employees. Management at the nursing home felt that it had become the “employer of choice for drug users in the area,” and was concerned about employee access to the residents’ narcotics, especially considering the high risk for abuse of these substances. The nursing home began looking for the most effective/robust preemployment drug testing method, in hopes of improving employee and resident safety by creating a drug-free environment.

Job applicants are screened for drugs of abuse during the interview process, ensuring the highest quality individuals are hired. This screening practice eliminates a problem before it starts, by detecting and deterring prospective employees with drug abuse problems. Implementing an effective pre-employment testing program often prevents drug users from even applying, saving companies time and money up-front.

After much research, the management team concluded that scheduled urinalysis tests would be a waste of money. They implemented a Psychemedics hair testing program because it identifies 6X more drug users and eliminates common tactics used to cheat a urinalysis test. Management agreed that keeping drug users out of their facility was money well spent and initiated the program.

During the interview they are given instructions on how to fill out the required paperwork and informed where to provide a hair sample. If the test result is positive and the results are confirmed by the MRO, the applicant is notified that he/she will not be offered a position.

Lowered the costs associated with workers compensation claims within the first three years. Reduced the number of claims by one third. The overall positive rate rapidly decreased from 7.5% to 3.8%. The program had made it clear that drug use would not be permitted.

Reduced the number of claims by one third. Significantly reduced the accident rate. With nurses and health care industry staff being associated with one of the highest worker injury rates, the decrease in staff injury has been a key result of the program. The success of the pre-employment testing program has led to the referral of Psychemedics’ services to local county agencies (County Courthouse, Prison, 911 Call Center, Sheriff’s Department, and the Department of HR), as a way to combat rising workers compensation costs.

For over three decades, Psychemedics Corporation has been the world’s leading drug testing company using hair. Psychemedics’ patented hair analysis technology is trusted by Fortune 500 companies, police forces, courts, schools and parents all over the world.