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DENVER (KDVR) — As overdose deaths fueled by fentanyl continue to surge across the country and in Colorado, the people behind the Colorado Naloxone Project believe it’s more important than ever to make sure lifesaving drugs to counter overdoses are widely available in the community.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment estimates 1,838 Coloradans died from an overdose in 2021, the highest total ever recorded.

The Colorado Naloxone Project’s goal is to make Colorado the first state in the country in which every hospital identifies patients at risk of an opioid overdose and sends them home with naloxone in hand. Kits are sent home with people who have overdosed, but also with people who are given pain medication.

The group is celebrating its first year, partnering with more than 100 hospitals and emergency departments across the state.

You can watch the discussion of how the group plans to expand in year two on FOX31 NOW in the player above.