Scott Blackburn, a partner at McKinsey & Company, which is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice for its role in the opioid crisis, participated in a panel on veterans' healthcare alongside Democratic Governors Janet Mills of Maine and Wes Moore of Maryland, as reported by Politico.
The panel, organized by the Democratic Governors Association, focused on improving healthcare access for veterans and facilitating their transition back to civilian life.
According to The Wall Street Journal, McKinsey & Company is under scrutiny for advising leading opioid manufacturers on strategies to boost their drug sales, including targeting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA had been contracting McKinsey for consulting services since 2009, during which the firm also guided opioid manufacturers on marketing their drugs to the agency.
In a 2013 presentation for Purdue Pharmaceuticals, McKinsey suggested the company could "explore institutional sales channels and ways to engage large institutions (e.g. long term care, VA hospitals)," as reported by the WSJ. A subsequent presentation that year also recommended the drug company to focus on the VA for increased sales.
Blackburn's tenure at McKinsey, from 2005 to 2014, coincided with the firm's opioid consulting. After leaving McKinsey, Blackburn held various positions at the VA before rejoining McKinsey as a partner in 2018.
A McKinsey spokesperson told Politico, "We're proud of the work that Scott and other McKinsey colleagues do to support our veterans' community, and we were pleased to participate in this important discussion."
The Daily Caller News Foundation has extensively reported on Purdue Pharmaceuticals' role in the opioid crisis. McKinsey reached a $642 million settlement related to opioid lawsuits in 2021, according to the WSJ. Furthermore, McKinsey has been a significant donor to the Democratic Governors Association, contributing $110,000 in 2023, compared to $71,500 to the Republican Governors Association that same year, as reported by Politico.
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