More Colorado teens died from overdoses last year than in any year since 2000 as the synthetic opioid fentanyl sparked another public health crisis during the coronavirus pandemic.
Two of Colorado’s largest school districts — Denver Public Schools and Douglas County School District — are among those seeking the antidote, which can reverse opioid overdoses, for their campuses.
“We want to make sure our students are safe,” said Julie Wilken, director of Nursing and Student Health for Denver Public Schools. “If a student is unconscious we may not know the reason why but time is of the essence and it behooves us to act responsibly and quickly. And we know that there’s a high supply of drugs laced with fentanyl out in the community.”
The rise in overdose deaths among teenagers began in 2019 but has increased at a higher rate since the coronavirus pandemic began two years ago. The mounting fatalities are largely driven by the presence of fentanyl, which is significantly more potent than morphine or heroin, in the state, according to data from the Colorado health department.
An estimated 46 children and teens between the ages of 10 and 18 died from drug overdoses in 2021 and 35 of those fatalities involved fentanyl, according to preliminary death data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
That’s up 28% from 2020 when the state recorded 36 overdose fatalities among people between ages 10 and 18. By comparison, Colorado saw 12 people in the age group die from an overdose in 2019, according to the agency.
“In the world of substance abuse, the pandemic was not our friend,” Wilken said. “Part of it makes me angry that it’s this available for kids. Where has the system broken down in being able to keep it away from our kids?”
Death certificate data for 2021 won’t be finalized until next month so numbers provided to The Denver Post by the state Department of Public Health and Environment are incomplete and may change.The agency provided data dating back to 2000.
Generally, children and teens make up a small number of deaths in the state. But the rise in overdose fatalities is notable because until 2020 suicide was the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10 to 17.
Unintentional injuries surpassed suicides to become the leading cause of death for the 10 to 17 age group in 2020, partly due to the rise in drug overdoses.
Even when adjusted for population changes, overdose deaths involving young people rose last year.
At a rate of 6.85 deaths per 100,000 people, overdose fatalities in 2021 were above the rate in 2019 – 1.79 fatalities per 100,000 – when the state first saw a small rise in such deaths, according to provisional population-adjusted data.
Colorado has seen an overall increase in overdoses since 2020, spurring state lawmakers to consider a bill to stem the spread of fentanyl by imposing tougher criminal penalties.
Children and teens have been experiencing higher rates of depression and anxiety since before the pandemic, but the crisis exacerbated those feelings, according to school officials and medical experts.
Children’s Hospital Colorado — which declared a “state of emergency” last year as its emergency departments filled with children seeking help for mental illnesses — is treating more patients for fentanyl overdoses in its emergency room, Dr. Sam Wang, a medical toxicologist and pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital.
DPS has noticed more students are seeking help for anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders at school health offices since returning to in-person learning. There are students who struggle to be at school for a full day because they have withdrawal symptoms or anxiety about not being able to use, Wilken said.
Recently, a teenager overdosed in her classroom after consuming fentanyl in the bathroom of her Colorado Springs high school.
Teenagers are buying what they think is Xanax or other medications, not realizing that it is laced with fentanyl, Wang said.
“We have a big fentanyl issue in our state,” he said, adding, “Unfortunately, kids are abusing in school, too.”
Fentanyl is used by doctors to treat pain, such as that caused by cancer, and is given through patches or lozenges. But fentanyl that is produced illicitly is often mixed with other substances, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fentanyl is so potent that an overdose can happen within five minutes, said Sam Bourdon, harm reduction grant fund coordinator with the state health department.
A person who is overdosing may have shortness of breath or isn’t breathing, is unresponsive, has discolored skin and small pupils. When trying to help someone in this state, a person should perform a sternum rub by moving their knuckles up and down a person’s breastbone. If they don’t respond, naloxone should be administered, she said.
DPS, the state’s largest school district, is revising its medication administration policy so that it can get naloxone from the state health department’s Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund — hopefully by next school year, Wilken said.
Six school districts, including Cherry Creek School District and Boulder Valley School District, have already enrolled in the program and another 14 districts are in the process of enrolling, Bourdon said.
Naloxone comes in multiple forms. It can be injected via a syringe via a person’s thigh or arm. It can also come as a nasal spray (this version is often referred to by its brand name, Narcan), Bourdon said.
“Naloxone is a great antidote,” Wang said. “The best way it works is giving it to someone immediately.”
