This RI Native Has Run Some of the Biggest Campaigns, He’s Now Taking on a Health Demon

Friday, May 10, 2024

GoLocalProv News Team and Josh Fenton

 

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Jim Murphy has led some of the biggest political and public affairs campaigns PHOTO: Murphy

Jim Murphy has run some of the biggest political and issue campaigns in modern American history.

The Warren, Rhode Island native is the oldest of nine children and was introduced to politics right out of school. He attended Portsmouth Abbey and then headed to Harvard College.

Murphy has helped direct national campaigns for Mitt Romney and Bob Dole and served as Donald Trump’s political director in 2016. He stepped down from the campaign after the Access Hollywood video was released. He said he is not supporting Trump's campaign in 2024.

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Murphy helped build the public affairs group DCI to become a powerhouse — it is now one of the largest firms in Washington, D.C.

His client roster included Microsoft, McDonald’s, General Motors, and AT&T. Murphy rose to serve as President and Managing Partner of DCI for five years.

Through all the mega success, he has kept a low public profile. He has given very few media interviews over the decades.

 

Biggest Challenge

Now, he is now taking on what may be his biggest challenge.

He is starting an initiative to combat drug addiction — Reach!! United.

And, he is adding a bipartisan team of public policy experts and researchers.

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Liz Sears Smith, a top White House aide under Obama PHOTO: LinkedIn

Liz Sears Smith, who served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Cabinet Secretary during President Barack Obama’s administration, is one of the national talents whom Murphy has recruited to help with this effort.

She also served as Chief of Staff for former Congressman Rahm Emanuel.

“If there is anyone who can build a team to take on an issue as complex as addiction, it is Jim Murphy,” Sears Smith told GoLocal. 

“This is a critical bipartisan issue,” she added.

Murphy said another key player in building a team to move an effective response forward is his longtime friend and partner, former Democratic Congressman Heath Shuler.

 

 

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IMAGE: CDC

Addiction and the Overdose Death Toll

“I became exposed to addiction and treatment firsthand with my family,” said Murphy.

He said business partners have lost children to opioid addiction, and recently, one of his clients overdosed and died.

"Last year, I actually lost a client, a client in my consulting business. Out of nowhere, just overdosed and was gone," said Murphy.

The problem is massive. The CDC reports that more than 110,000 Americans died from overdoses last year. The death rate has been functionally stagnant for the past three years.

Here in Rhode Island, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office, the state saw increases from 384 overdose deaths in 2021 to 435 in 2022. The data for 2023 has not been finalized. On average, more than one Rhode Islander a day dies every day.

“Given my political experience and my public affairs experience in corporate America, that role that I needed to play now was with Reach!! United. The realization came to me that over my career, I've promoted candidates, I've advocated for blue chip companies, and I had this sort of awakening that maybe at this point in my life, my legacy contribution could be to come out from behind and play a leading role, and to fight for and be the voice of those lives lost to overdose and the loved ones they left behind, who are in pain and grief and those brave and courageous people who are seeking treatment for addiction," said Murphy in an hour-long interview with GoLocal.

"What I've learned is that by using campaign and public affairs experience to help direct these resources to lower the death rate and build a more effective continuum of care, that was something that I was maybe uniquely suited for,” Murphy added.

He said there is no longer a lack of resources “with these opioid abatement legal settlements and the approximately $55 billion that is going to flow to states and counties as a result of these overlapping settlements."

“A fundamental misunderstanding is that people do not understand that addiction is a disease.  It is not a personal failure. Now, motivation to recover is important. I'm not saying there's no personal responsibility required here, but if people viewed addiction like they do cancer, this would be a different story — today’s addiction is touching all demographics, all races, all income levels," said Murphy.

Murphy says the issue of treatment has too long been stigmatized and ineffective.

 

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Narcan PHOTO: Next Distro, Unsplash

Lower the Death Rate and Increase Treatment

Murphy said the increase in Narcan distribution is critical. It should be everywhere.

"First of all, I want to be very clear: Narcan is not the only answer or a panacea, but I believe it is the first step," said Murphy.

"The goal of Reach!! is to lower the death rate and to increase the success rate in people going into treatment. Those are our two objectives and the mission of the organization," he added.

Murphy said we need to take lessons from other public health efforts.

"If you look at the AIDS epidemic, condoms are distributed everywhere. In Narcan, there's some similarity between condoms," said Murphy. "We need to get the distribution to everyone."

"Right now, we're about Narcan Now. The second wave is going to beds and meds, so there, and when I say beds. I don't mean long-term 30-day treatment. There needs to be respite beds," said Murphy.

"Presently, people overdose; if they're lucky, somebody calls 911, and an EMT comes and they Narcan them. They bring them to the ER, and then they give them a phone number to call, try, and get help," Murphy said. "That doesn't work; we need respite beds where we can temporarily put people in a safe space so they don't end up under an overpass again."

Murphy also urges greater access to suboxone treatment and that regulatory obstacles need to be addressed, citing the Drug Enforcement Agency, state red tape, and limits on physicians.

"Nationally, more than 300 people a day are dying; we simply need greater urgency," said Murphy.

“I’m not delusional to think that I, Jim Murphy, as head of Reach!! United, with the team of people, I have changed the mindset of America's conventional wisdom overnight; however, I am determined to fight this fight to the best of my ability for as long as I can," he said. 

 

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