AURORA, Colo. — Arapahoe County officials say they are beginning to make progress in combating overdose deaths, crediting Narcan kits and kiosks as key tools in the fight against a fentanyl crisis that has grown significantly over the past five years.
While official numbers for last year are not yet available, the county says its harm reduction efforts are showing results — and volunteer groups working on the ground say they are seeing the same thing.
The work starts in places like the corner of Colfax Avenue and Dallas Street, where Aurora’s most vulnerable residents find food, toiletries, and connection every Friday morning.
There, they are welcomed by warm smiles from compassionate volunteers from vital community organizations like the Dayton Street Opportunity Center, who guide them toward meaningful support and resources, while Denver College of Nursing students carefully monitor temperature and blood pressure screenings.
On this particular Friday, we met folks from peer recovery organization Fresh 2 Death, who recently joined forced with the groups to meet community members where they are.
Fresh 2 Death founder Moses Jones told Denver7 the work is rooted in connection.
"There's no difference between us and them. We are them; they are us," Jones said.
Along with bags of toiletries and clothes, volunteers distribute vials of Narcan and fentanyl testing strips.
“If somebody [overdoses] and we can make sure that we have a Narcan pack with them, that's a life that we could save,” said Jones.
Peer support coach Dudley Thurmond said the opioid crisis is impossible to ignore.
"It's almost catastrophic right now in Colorado, because, I mean, it's running through all our communities," Thurmond said.
Thurmond said he has witnessed the life-saving impact of carrying Narcan firsthand.
"In the last year I probably saw three people ODing, and by the grace of God, I had Narcan on me," Thurmond said. "I believe that anyone working with people in today's times should have Narcan accessible. It's extremely important, and it's saving lives.”
Arapahoe County has also rolled out six Narcan kiosks across the region over the last few years. Raquel Isaac, senior health educator with the Arapahoe County Public Health Harm Reduction Program, said the data is encouraging.
"We've seen a recent decrease in [overdose] numbers, and we think it's because we are giving out a lot of naloxone into the community," Isaac said.
The program is entirely grant-funded. The county has three kiosks in Aurora, two in Centennial, and one in Byers.
Though the county has additional kiosks ready to go, Isaac said limited resources are slowing expansion efforts.
"It does cost a lot of money to not only install the kiosk, but to maintain them, and we restock pretty often, depending on the location,” Isaac said. “Right now, we just need the funds to be able to do that, so we're kind of like a little bit, we're just a little bit hindered by the fact that we don't have the funds to actually establish them.”
According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado overdose deaths dropped 13.9% in 2025. Fentanyl deaths in the state are down by 28.5%.
Fentanyl killed 143 people in Arapahoe County in 2023 — the county's highest death toll from the drug. That number dropped to 118 in 2024.
County officials expect the downward trend to continue based on preliminary 2025 data.
Thurmond said collaboration and on-the-ground efforts are the key to making a difference in neighbors’ lives.
"I'm a firm believer that when people work together, more impact is made, right?" Thurmond said. "Because only one organization can do so much by itself. It has to be a collective partnership — a community."
And it’s more than just a helping hand:
“I've seen people come out of funks just because somebody's there to look them in the eyes and tell them that you love them, you're here for them, and when they're ready to do what they need to do, you will help them, you know?” said Jones.
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