PUEBLO — One harm reduction agency is taking a step further to combat the ongoing fentanyl crisis in Southern Colorado.
The Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association (SCHRA) has started administering Kloxxado, an antidote to reverse opioid overdoses that's twice as strong as Narcan. Only one dose is needed to save lives, versus three or four doses of Narcan.
"It's been a need for a while. But now there's more awareness because more people are getting front line affected by losing loved ones and now they're starting to understand what a great need this is," said Jude Solano, CEO for SCHRA.
Since January, the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment said Narcan has saved 191 people from overdosing on opioids.
Adam Haman, Pueblo Fire Department Emergency Medical Officer, said he uses Narcan on patients around five to 10 times a week.
"They seem to come in waves, like, if you get one, you're gonna end up with four or five or six doses in a day, and it's usually related to new batches of heroin coming into town," he said.
Haman said using the antidote is normalized on their day-to-day job.
"We just revert to our training and we go in and do our job. There's not really a big emotional aspect to it at the time. It's usually afterward that we'll experience emotions from it," he said.
Although Narcan and Kloxxado are not addictive, patients may feel side effects, related to withdrawal from the opioid, after administering it.
"It can instantly put you into delirium, tremors or withdrawal. That can cause some very extreme and aggressive behavior," said Haman.
Solano and others at SCHRA are trying to end the stigma of getting help for opioid addiction.
"We're trying to show people, we can walk side by side with you, and we can be that entry point to everything else that you need, you want to be safe," she said. "Anybody can walk in our doors. Addiction knows no boundaries, it affects everybody."
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