U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen on Monday asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to preserve federal funding for an opioid overdose prevention program that distributes naloxone, a medication the Lakewood Democrat credited with saving “countless” lives, including her mother’s.

In a letter requesting a meeting with Kennedy to discuss possible funding cuts, Pettersen describes her mother’s decades-long battle with opioid addiction after being prescribed pain pills to treat a back injury.

“In one year alone, my mom overdosed more than 20 times and even overdosed three times in a single day,” Pettersen wrote. “But she is one of the lucky ones. Time and time again, she was administered naloxone, and eventually, she was finally able to receive the treatment she needed.”

Known by its brand name Narcan, naloxone can reverse overdoses when administered quickly. Multiple programs funded by the federal health agency work to increase access to the drug, including the Overdose Prevention and First Responder Training programs, part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

According to reports on the Trump administration’s draft fiscal year 2026 budget, those programs are flagged for elimination, though a spokesperson for Kennedy’s agency told the fact-checkers at Snopes late last month that no final decisions have been made.

Calling continued funding of the naloxone programs “imperative,” Pettersen said, “the truth is, my mom wouldn’t be here if there hadn’t been naloxone on site each time she overdosed. Naloxone saves lives and it saved hers.”

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control found that while drug overdoses continue to be the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-44, the number of deaths from overdoses dropped by nearly 24% in the 12-month period ending last September, according to figures cited by Pettersen.

“However, the substance use disorder crisis is far from over, and American lives are at stake,” she wrote. “We cannot afford to turn back the clock on the progress that SAMHSA has made.”

Her letter said her mother’s example should encourage Kennedy to keep funding the programs.

“This past August, my mom celebrated her seventh year in recovery, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. She serves as a powerful example of what is possible when people gain access to the treatment and services they need,” Pettersen wrote.

Pettersen also invoked Kennedy’s own history of heroin addiction and suggested that means they have common cause.

There are many different paths to recovery, and I appreciate your openness in sharing your own struggle with addiction,” Pettersen wrote. “I hope together we can work to reduce the stigma around addiction and encourage more people to find their own path to recovery.”

Pettersen invited Kennedy to visit Colorado’s 7th Congressional District to meet with emergency personnel trained to administer naloxone with funding provided by the health agency’s grants.

“We must continue to support first-responders who are the front lines of the addiction crisis and this would be an opportunity for us both to listen and learn from law enforcement,” she wrote.