The HERO Act aims to provide schools with opioid overdose reversal drugs and educational resources to combat the opioid crisis. It authorizes $1 billion in grants over 5 years for schools to acquire naloxone and develop emergency response plans and educational programming on overdose prevention and response. Given the devastating toll of the opioid epidemic, especially among youth, providing schools with these life-saving tools is a prudent step. However, merely having naloxone is not enough - we must also invest in evidence-based prevention efforts to stop addiction before it starts. While this legislation is a positive move, a comprehensive strategy addressing root causes like lack of economic opportunity and mental health resources is still needed to stem this public health emergency.
