Topics:
See AllSocial Share
community
Fighting Fentanyl Overdoses in Our Community
While there are hopeful signs that harm reduction strategies are working, the fight to save lives rages on.
Some hopeful recent news and statistics around fatal drug overdoses in Boulder County demonstrates the power of collective action, and how improving education and access to resources can save lives.
In April, Boulder County announced a significant public health milestone: the number of fentanyl-related deaths in Boulder County dropped from 38 in 2023 to 27 in 2024 – a 30% decline.
What’s more, this data matches a similar trend happening nationwide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), fatal drug overdoses across the country have dropped by more than 24% since June 2023. This dramatic decrease is unprecedented and meaningful – it translates to roughly 70 lives saved every day. (Source)
While it is encouraging to finally see a decline in fentanyl-related deaths after the steady rise in overdoses since the 2000s – and the sharp increase during the pandemic years – it is important to explore the reasons behind this trend and remain realistic about the continued challenges we face to confront this epidemic and fight fentanyl overdoses.
What’s more, this trend shows that coordinated efforts are working and that further collective action – through lifesaving education, outreach, and making free or low-cost harm reduction resources more accessible to everyone - is as important as ever to continue this progress and save more lives.
Why have fentanyl overdoses declined?
While many factors may be contributing to this drop in fentanyl overdoses – including shifts in the drug supply and the return of preventative care services after pandemic disruptions – experts believe that collaborative community action and mobilization has played an important role.
According to a recent press release issued by Boulder County:
The local decrease in fentanyl-related deaths is attributed to a coordinated response among community partners. Efforts include increasing the availability of naloxone (a life-saving drug that reverses opioid overdoses), raising awareness of fentanyl's risks and strengthening law enforcement collaboration.”
Clinica Family Health & Wellness was proud to be one such partner and a leader in our community when it comes to fighting fentanyl deaths by providing evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs like Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) to help clients manage withdrawal symptoms and achieve long-term recovery. In addition, we have intentionally and proactively sought to meet our community where they are through outreach and education.
For instance, in the past couple of years we kicked off a campaign to place dozens of kiosks across our region where anyone can get free NARCAN/naloxone, fentanyl testing strips, and other lifesaving harm reduction tools. Through our You-CAN Save Lives campaign, we distributed 3,448 NARCAN/naloxone kits and 1,700 fentanyl testing strips in 2024 alone – at no cost to community members.
In 2024, we also helped launch Boulder County’s first ever harm reduction vending machine.
Continuing the fight to save lives through treatment and harm reduction
So the question is:
Have we finally turned a corner in the fight against fentanyl?
It’s still too soon to say; only time will tell.
In the meantime, we must continue working to prevent overdoses through outreach, education, and treatment to maintain this positive trajectory – especially as new and even more potent strains of fentanyl continue to pop up throughout Colorado, increasing the risk of overdose.
What’s more, not every community is seeing declines in overdoses. In fact, while fentanyl overdoses across Boulder County and Colorado as a whole have decreased, the City of Boulder actually saw an increase in overdoses in early 2025.
According to Stephen F. Redfearn, the City of Boulder’s Chief of Police, there were 37% more overdoses in early 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Most of these overdoses, especially the fatal ones, involved suspected fentanyl or a combination of fentanyl and at least one other drug.
In April 2025, Boulder Police reported five fentanyl overdoses in 36 hours – possibly due to a tainted strain or new type of the fentanyl in the area.
Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty emphasized the need for continued action in the press release, saying:
We must continue the fight against fentanyl deaths throughout Colorado. By raising community awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, providing treatment and naloxone for those struggling with addiction and holding dealers fully accountable for drug-related deaths, we are making some real progress—but there is more work to be done.”
How You-CAN Save Lives
One action you can take today is by learning about and supporting our You-CAN Campaign. Through this campaign, we aim to make lifesaving overdose prevention tools – like NARCAN/naloxone and fentanyl testing strips – easily accessible and free for everyone in our community through a network of kiosks spread across our region.
This campaign is not covered by federal or state funding and is fully supported thanks to generous contributions from individuals and businesses in our community. We currently have over a dozen kiosks across Boulder and Broomfield counties.