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"Fewer New Moms Are Dying in Colorado – Naloxone Might Be One Reason Why."
The Conversation
March 2026
On March 31, Kaylin Klie, MD, MA, Associate Professor for the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Family Medicine, published an article titled “Fewer New Moms Are Dying in Colorado – Naloxone Might Be One Reason Why,” published in The Conversation and featured on NPR News, Colorado Stories.
Naloxone, an over-the-counter medication, may be able to stop or reverse the symptoms of an overdose by people who use opioids, including heroin or some painkillers.
From the article:
“In Colorado, from 2016 to 2020, 33 women who were pregnant or had recently given birth died from accidental overdoses. That’s more than died from traditional obstetric complications like infection, high blood pressure or bleeding combined.
More recent data shows an encouraging turnaround. The number of maternal overdose deaths dropped 60%, from 20 in 2022 to eight in 2023. I think one contributing factor might be increased access to naloxone for moms and families across the state.
As a perinatal addiction medicine physician, I specialize in taking care of pregnant people and families impacted by substance use disorder. Part of the care I provide is prescribing or distributing naloxone directly to patients and their family members. Naloxone is an over-the-counter medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose.”
Read more of this article at The Conversation.
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