Posted: Monday, July 20, 2015
It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news about the loss of Jim Gillen who passed away early Saturday morning, surrounded by family.
Jim fought a long and valiant battle with cancer for the past few years. In recent weeks Jim experienced several setbacks but continued to fight as only Jim could. Sadly, this was one last battle even Jim could not win.
We have lost a true hero, a man who truly made a difference in the lives of thousands. But more than that we have lost a friend, and his family has lost a man who loved them all very much.
Without a doubt, Jim Gillen was the face, the voice, and the conscience of the recovery community in Rhode Island. He shared his personal story of recovery countless times. And through the inspiring example he set, Jim showed the way for thousands of individuals to live a life in recovery.
As Jim liked to say, "Recovery is a reality." And thanks to his ceaseless dedication, recovery became a reality for thousands.
Jim fought to remove the stigma associated with substance use and addiction during his fifteen years as an advocate, counselor, and cheerleader. He recognized that addiction is a disease that needs to be treated with the same sensitivity, passion, and compassion given to other illnesses. He helped shine a spotlight on the tragic loss of life due to addiction, calling on all to give the fight against addiction the same urgency devoted to other public health threats, many of which claim fewer lives.
In 2008 Jim joined The Providence Center where he built a nationally recognized recovery program, including three Anchor Recovery Community Centers.
The first Anchor Recovery Community Center opened on Main Street in Pawtucket. The second, opened on the grounds of the Kent County YMCA, is a unique partnership, not found anywhere else in the country. A third is run within the Women's Minimum Security facility of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. This is also a unique partnership.
He was the energetic and ebullient centerpiece of Rhode Island's annual Rally For Recovery, giving inspiring speeches and moving the crowd in between stints on flute and leading a band or two.
In recent years, he was an outspoken advocate for a robust response to the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic.
Working the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals, Jim helped develop and pioneer a unique program, AnchorED, that connected overdose survivors with recovery coaches while they were still in the hospital. He promoted awareness about Narcan, which can save the life of an individual experiencing an overdose, advocating for widespread training and availability of this life-saving miracle.
Things like this don't "just happen." It takes passion, commitment, leadership, and the ability to help people see possibility, promise, and hope where others do not. Jim had this unique ability, and then some.
On behalf of the entire Providence Center community, I express our heartfelt condolences to Jim's family. We have all lost someone very precious. In Jim's honor, we will continue the fight for recovery.
Dale K. Klatzker, Ph.D.
President, The Providence Center
Additional coverage of the amazing life of Jim Gillen:
Providnece Journal: Jim Gillen, pioneer of addiction recovery movement in RI, dies at 61
NPR: R.I.P. Jim Gillen, Champion Of Recovery
Family, friends and supporters remember Jim Gillen
Note: Calling hours will be held Tuesday, July 21, from 3:00-7:00 PM, with services at 7:00 PM, at Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home, 649 E. Greenwich Avenue, West Warwick, RI.