Raising children is expensive, and the costs continue to rise. In fact, most middle-class families pay an estimated $300,000 to support a child until they reach the age of 18. It’s also a lot of work, and a job best left to two parents. Unfortunately, many children are raised by a single mother because the father is unable or unwilling to meet his responsibilities as a parent. Some fathers do a great job of co-parenting after a divorce or a separation, but far too many get so delinquent with child support payments that the mother is forced to seek help from the authorities.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that adversely affects the lungs and respiratory system, and there are thousands of new cases of Tuberculosis each year in the United States. TB infections are caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and it’s very treatable if it’s detected early enough. An untreated TB infection can spread throughout the body and cause problems for the digestive system and the central nervous system. Many people won’t know that they’re infected until they begin showing symptoms, and some people don’t get sick at all. But an individual with a latent TB infection (LTBI) can spread the infection to others, particularly small children and the elderly.

Peer pressure encourages good kids to make bad choices, and social media exposes them to more bad influences than ever. Social media is frequently used as a tool for bullying and harassment, and it often encourages people to participate in dangerous challenges to get more followers. They also witness celebrities glorifying the use of alcohol and controlled substances. According to the CDC, two-thirds of all high school students have tried alcohol and half have tried marijuana. Close to 20% of all teenagers have abused prescription medication, and children between the ages of 12-20 years old consume 10% of all alcohol sold in the United States. Parents are always interested in protecting their children from making bad decisions, but they can’t be with them at all times. But our team at First Choice can help you keep your children honest with home drug testing.

Your employees are one of the most important components of your business, and you have an obligation to keep them safe. This means making good hiring decisions and training your staff on the importance of workplace safety. You also need to make sure that your employees are physically capable of performing their daily responsibilities before they begin work, or if they’re returning to work after an injury. Most importantly, you need to carry a workers’ compensation insurance policy to protect your business from out-of-pocket losses resulting from workplace accidents.