* Training people to organise health promotion in the workplace. These are mainly regional leaders, physicians, and nurses specialising in occupational medicine, students, and representatives of commercial companies. 300 people have been trained so far.
* Preparing educational and advertising materials for employers, managers, and employees. Seven handbooks, many leaflets, and posters were published. The Centre also provides consulting for pilot programmes in health promotion.
* Conducting research and preparing analyses which result in scientific principles of health promotion in the workplace.
In 1998 the Centre carried out research on the level of interest in health promotion programmes in commercial companies. Only 10% of the companies selected for the survey responded. Of those who responded the results show that 25% of Polish companies employing over 300 workers are unaware of the concept of health promotion in the workplace. 27% of firms have implemented at least some elements of promotion programmes, primarily as extra medical services or activities intended to improve the functional and aesthetic aspects of social facilities. The relatively low interest of Polish companies in promoting health among their employees is due to their precarious finances. Health promotion is not perceived as a way to enhance the company's future, and there are no direct benefits, such as reduced insurance rates, to serve as incentives for companies to undertake health promotion activities. Implementation of health promotion programmes in the workplace will only progress when employers and trade unions begin to recognize the long-term economic and social benefits associated with a "healthy workforce", i.e. reduced absenteeism and job turnover and improved productivity.
There are also weaknesses at the government level. The reform of Poland's administrative system, launched in 1999, reduced the number of regions from 49 to 16 and disrupted the network of regional health promotion leaders. Though health promotion is among the responsibilities of local authorities, funding for health promotion activities is still not in place.
Though the following programs do not relate directly to mental health in the workplace, they are examples of preventive and educational programs underway in Poland that promote good health habits. Two of these programs specifically target young people. This is a first step towards mental health in adults, and should impact the workplace as today's youth comes of age.
PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DRUG ABUSE IN POLAND
The project was initiated by the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology and funded by the European Commission. It was implemented in 1994-1995 in Starachowice and Malczyce, two communities thrown into crisis by the economic transformation. The largest industrial plants in the towns had shut down, leading to a significant rise in unemployment, and the bulk of the population became impoverished. The activity of cultural centres diminished, and new social problems, including drug abuse, emerged. The project's major objectives were to establish comparable data on drug abuse and drug related issues, increase public concern about drug abuse and the necessity for community-based prevention initiatives, and facilitate changes in treatment policy and organisation. Its main outcome was the Prevention and Community Action Package, which summarised the communities' expe-
