Last updated: October 2, 2023
Founded in 2018 to meet the growing need for training advocacy and best-practice standards for the drug and alcohol testing industry, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) supports employers in a variety of ways to ensure they maintain the highest level of safety standards and in developing effective workplace drug-free policies.
Their diverse membership includes testing companies, employers, laboratories, Third Party Administrators, human resources managers, safety professionals, substance abuse counselors, and anyone else who realizes the importance of maintaining a drug-free workplace and protecting public safety.
The NDASA hosts an annual conference and invites all of its members to attend. The conference provides:
- Professional training sessions
- Nationally respected speakers and leaders
- Networking opportunities
- Break-out workshops
- Camaraderie
Save the date
The 2022 NDASA Conference & Trade Show is scheduled for May 4th through 6th. It will be held at the JW Marriot located in the heart of Indianapolis, Indiana. For those planning to explore the city while in town, these accommodations are in the perfect spot!
The conference kicks off with a pre-conference training day on Wednesday, May 4th. Leading experts in the field will teach classes filled with must-have knowledge for professionals in the drug and alcohol testing industry.
You can pop over to NDASA’s pre-conference training page for all the details—such as which classes include certificates of completion and, of course, the cost.
Here’s the basic line-up though.
- NDASA Registered Professional Collector Training 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Train the Trainer 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
- Designated Employer Representative Training 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Hair Test Collections Training 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Conflict Mitigation 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Marijuana in the Workplace 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Reasonable Suspicion 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Drug Recognition in the Workplace 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Drug and Alcohol Program Audit—What You Don’t Know Can Cost You 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Collector Errors and Common Problems in Collections 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- How to Catch the Drug Cheaters 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- How to Start a New Collection Business 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
If you don’t plan to attend any of the pre-conference classes, conference registration begins at 1:00 p.m. Come get settled and plan your schedule before the VIP Reception kicks off that evening. If you can’t get away but hate to miss the event, get registered to attend virtually!
You’ll want to hear this
This year’s keynote speaker is General Barry McCaffrey, USA (Ret.)—yes, that’s the General McCaffrey.
General McCaffrey is the former director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Proudly serving in the United States Army for 32 years, he retired as a four-star general. In fact, General McCaffrey retired as the most highly decorated serving general.
He received three Purple Heart medals because he was wounded in battle three times. He also received two Distinguished Service Crosses. The Distinguished Service Cross is the nation’s second-highest award for valor. Lastly, General McCaffrey earned two Silver Stars for his valor.
After retiring from military service, General McCaffrey led the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for five years. Upon leaving government service, he was named the Bradley Distinguished Professor of International Security Studies. He also taught international security studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
Currently, General McCaffrey is president of BR McCaffrey Associates, a consulting firm in Alexandria, VA.
Appearing next on the docket
Dan Schneider is a real-life hero. You may already know that he’s the grieving father at the center of Netflix’s critically-acclaimed docu-series “The Pharmacist.” He’ll be the Featured Speaker on Friday, May 6th.
Sadly, Dan’s story began back in 1999 after he lost his son in a drug-related shooting in New Orleans. Lacking answers from the police, Dan, a small-town pharmacist, embarked on a dogged pursuit to find and bring his son’s killer to justice. Subsequently, Dan was instrumental in the killer being apprehended and he pled guilty to manslaughter in 2000.
Months after the verdict, the ripple effects of drug addiction affected Dan’s life once again when he realized a troubling number of young—and seemingly healthy—people were coming into his pharmacy with high-dose prescriptions for OxyContin. He sensed a crisis long before the opioid epidemic gained national attention.
Dan made it his life mission to save the lives of other sons and daughters in his community and took the fight to Big Pharma itself. Years later, he hasn’t given up. Dan remains committed to his goal of raising awareness about drug addiction and the opioid epidemic through his organization, Tunnel of Hope.
Rolling into the future
The National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) is the voice of the nation’s drug and alcohol screening industry. USA Mobile Drug Testing continues to be a dynamic voice in the industry as well. We play an important role in the lives of employees across the nation every time we roll up on site.
Of course, the majority of employees don’t use drugs. However, anyone in the workplace who does puts everyone around them at an increased risk of being involved in an accident.
No one deserves to go off to work one day and wind up injured, in the hospital, or worse. Still, it happens somewhere every day. The number one reason that employers drug test is because they want to do all they can to ensure a safe workplace for their employees. Actually, it’s a known fact that workplace accidents decrease after drug-free programs are implemented.
In addition to drug testing, educating your employees is another way to cut down on workplace drug use. When you inform them about the dangers of drug use and addiction, it allows them to make informed decisions. Most of the time, that’s going to be a strengthened resolve to never use drugs. However, if someone in your employ is suffering from addiction—but has been flying under the radar—providing them with education could be the catalyst they need to commit to getting and staying sober.
We provide classes like that. If you’d like to know more about them—or have any questions about drug testing in general, look us up at the conference. We’re already signed up to attend and, moreover, we’ve got a couple of exhibitor booths reserved too. You’ll be seeing us around for sure.
We’re looking forward to it. In fact, we can’t wait!
