Data shows 515 overdoses were reversed in Pueblo last year with help of naloxone
There were 515 overdose reversals in Pueblo County in 2022, and there have been more than 1,100 since naloxone started to be distributed in the area, according to data from the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment and the Substance Use Response Ecosystem.
Nearly 8,500 doses of naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, were distributed in the county in 2021, leading to 492 reversals. That number reached 515, a five-year high, in 2022 when almost 14,000 doses were issued, according to the data.
It’s possible that some people, depending on the substances they consumed, might need more than one dose of naloxone, which is a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. In Pueblo, naloxone has been provided by the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association.
As of April 10, there had been more than 81 reversals and more than 4,700 doses administered in 2023. The reversal numbers come from people who self-report them to SCHRA.
The data is an “underestimation” and does not include people who are prescribed opioids and can be considered at high risk of overdosing, said Sarah Money, health hub program manager for Access Point Pueblo.
Money said SCHRA distributes naloxone to people who are using substances and also “concerned family members.” Judy Solano and Dr. Michael Nerenberg co-founded the SCHRA resource center to create a “safe environment where people struggling with addiction feel comfortable and are asking us for help.”
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The center and naloxone are tools to combat a nationwide overdose epidemic that’s largely being driven by fentanyl.
But the effectiveness of naloxone, as well as a longstanding needle exchange program available in Pueblo, have been called into question by some people in the community, including Pueblo County Commissioner Eppie Griego, who feels the latter promotes drug use.
Pueblo City Council member Larry Atencio in April said that while visiting a community group around that time, people among that group told him they feel Pueblo shouldn’t have naloxone or a needle exchange program.
Between 2020 and 2021, Pueblo County was one of a few counties across the state to see a decrease in its overdose fatality rate, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; it decreased from 45.1% of reported overdoses leading to a death to 43.8%. Several other southern Colorado counties, and some in different parts of the state, experienced substantial increases.
Money said that drop stems from a multitude of factors but called naloxone a “critical piece” to the turnaround.
“Our community has all of these resources and supports that are slowly working away at what we’re seeing,” Money said. “It is slow going, and we’ll get there eventually, but I think we can look at this and say we’re on the right track. Things are happening in Pueblo that are helping keep people alive and also helping them achieve recovery.”
Money also said naloxone helps “reduce the burden on emergency services” and provides people a resource if they, during a moment in which they may be on the verge of an overdose, are unable to call for that type of service.
As of April 10, of the overdose reversals reported to SCHRA so far in 2023, less than 20%, or about 20, involved a 911 call. In 2022, out of 515 overdose reversals, 22% involved emergency services.
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Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo overdose reversals hit a 5-year high in 2022
