In Colorado, from , 33 women who were pregnant or had recently given birth died from accidental overdoses. That’s more than died from traditional obstetric complications like .
More recent data shows an encouraging turnaround. The number of maternal overdose deaths dropped 60%, . I think one contributing factor might be increased access to naloxone for moms and families across the state.
As a perinatal , I of . Part of the care I provide is prescribing or distributing naloxone directly to patients and their family members. Naloxone is an that reverses the effects of opioid overdose.
I served as a member and then co-chair of the from 2017 to 2023. The committee reviews every death of a person in Colorado that occurs during a pregnancy or within 12 months of the end of a pregnancy. I personally reviewed the records of Colorado mothers who died from overdoses.
In Colorado, unintentional overdose and suicide have been the since 2016. Nationally, is overdose, followed by homicide and then suicide.
Almost all overdose deaths occur in the community, outside of a medical center: in . In almost all circumstances, the review committee determined that if naloxone had been present, there was a good chance the mother would have survived.
Giving naloxone directly to patients and families
In 2023, , a nonprofit, started distributing naloxone directly to pregnant and postpartum moms and their families before leaving one of the 48 birthing hospitals in Colorado. The distribution is through a program called the , also known as MOMs. The initiative was in direct response to the number of women dying from overdose during pregnancy or within a year after pregnancy.
The Naloxone Project was by an emergency and addiction medicine physician. The project distributes naloxone directly to patients in Colorado hospital emergency rooms at risk for opioid overdose.
To date, The Naloxone Project has distributed more than to give to patients across the state. The project also works to normalize the conversation about opioid overdose and prevention in health care settings. It’s grown, and now it has .
Naloxone can make recovery possible
The defines substance use disorder as “a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment and an individual’s life experiences.” People with the disease of addiction can, and do, recover – but only if they can stay alive to receive the support and treatment they need.
Research shows to people, families and . Access to naloxone gives people, including Colorado moms, a literal second chance at life.
Naloxone for more than substance use disorder
While people with substance use disorder are at the highest risk for overdose, they’re not the only ones. In 2024 alone, in Colorado.
Prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine, are commonly prescribed after a surgery, including C-sections. Opioids like these taken at home, even with a prescription, can be a source of accidental overdose. For example, a person prescribed these medicines may take too much at once or have an or alcohol.
Accidental overdose also occurs in people the prescription was not intended for. That includes children who . In Colorado, from opioid overdoses in 2024.
Today, parents leaving the hospital with their new baby are given naloxone and education. They learn about of medications, , and . Nasal-spray naloxone, the most common form provided by The Naloxone Project, , including infants and toddlers.
Naloxone as a standard of care
Caring for people impacted by substance use disorder has convinced me that naloxone has a place in every home, school and workplace in our community.
Recognizing and responding to opioid overdose, including giving naloxone, is now a standard part of . Opioid overdose reversal is now seen as a critical, to CPR. Including this skill in training empowers bystanders to intervene.
For some of my patients, receiving naloxone during an overdose event gave them a chance to seek treatment and enter long-term recovery from substance use. Opioid use disorder treatment includes evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder, such as , residential or intensive outpatient treatment, individual therapy and , especially programs .
How these facets of treatment come together in an individual person’s journey is unique. As much as I seek to individualize treatment plans, naloxone is for everyone. It can build a bridge between despair and hope — life and death — and as the data shows, it might be a part of saving Colorado moms’ lives.
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