The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 26 read two proclamations, declaring Aug. 31 International Overdose Awareness Day and September 2025 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, and highlighted local mortality figures and county efforts to expand treatment, prevention and harm-reduction services.

The proclamations were introduced during the board’s regular meeting by commissioners and public-health partners. Commissioner Andy Kerr read a statement from Jefferson County Coroner Annette Cannon saying the coroner’s office investigated 147 drug-intoxication deaths in 2024. Commissioner Kerr said the coroner’s office seeks to reduce stigma, support prevention and post‑mortem research to help lower overdose deaths.

The county also pointed to regional management of national opioid‑settlement dollars. Commissioner Leslie Dahlkemper said about $45,000,000,000 in national opioid settlement proceeds are being allocated across states and territories and that, locally, the Gateway to the Rockies Opioid Council (GROC) and Jefferson County are working on several initiatives “totaling over $6,000,000 aimed at prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction.” The board recognized Dr. Chelsea Shore Miller, the county’s regional project manager for GROC, and Jefferson Center for Mental Health for partnership on those efforts.

Commissioner Zenzinger urged reducing stigma and expanding access to health care, housing and social services as tools to address addiction’s root causes. “Stigma often prevents people from seeking help,” she said. Zenzinger noted Narcan as a life‑saving tool and encouraged public education about overdose signs, including slow breathing or unresponsiveness.

On the suicide proclamation, commissioners cited coroner statistics that the coroner’s office investigated 120 deaths determined to be suicides in 2024 and noted that 75 percent of those deaths were male and most involved firearms, according to the statement read into the record. The board invited representatives from Second Wind Fund, a Colorado nonprofit that provides counseling to youth, and Jefferson Center for Mental Health to accept the proclamation. Carolyn McDonald, program director for Second Wind Fund, said the nonprofit has served more than 9,000 youth over 20 years and will hold a community walk/run Sept. 21 at Clement Park.

No formal vote on the proclamations is recorded in the meeting transcript; the proclamations were presented and acknowledged by the board and invited guests.

Why it matters: County officials framed the proclamations as part of a broader public‑health response that pairs coroner data with settlement funds, local mental‑health providers and community organizations aimed at prevention, treatment and stigma reduction. The board and partners emphasized immediate harm‑reduction tools such as Narcan and community outreach and highlighted the coroner’s role in postvention and research.

Details and next steps: County staff and GROC partners were identified as active implementers of settlement‑funded programs; specific program allocations were not detailed in the presentation beyond the summary figure of “over $6,000,000.” The coroner’s office and partner organizations were invited to continue engagement with the county on prevention and outreach work.