Naloxone saves life at Denver Health exhibit about substance use

DENVER — The opioid crisis continues to devastate communities of color.

A new Denver Health study shows Black, Hispanic and Asian adults are far less likely to use naloxone, the medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. Experts say the problem is related to a lack of access.

That reality was never clearer than Thursday at the Denver Public Library, where an exhibit aimed at breaking substance use stigma became the setting for a life-saving rescue.

“One of the customers of the library came and was talking to some of our staff, and then sat down in the library and fell asleep, but we heard some snoring, and people were checking in on him,” said Brooke Bender, administrative director at Denver Health’s Center for Addiction Medicine. “Eventually, we didn't hear anything else, and th