Merkley also announces Senate introduction of bill to help prevent fatal overdoses in workplaces
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Florida’s U.S. Senator Rick Scott teamed up to introduce the bipartisan School Access to Naloxone Act. This new legislation would ensure school personnel would have the training and education to administer lifesaving drugs and devices for emergency treatment in cases of known or suspected opioid overdose.
“Oregon currently faces the fastest growing drug-related death rate among teens in the entire nation—we must show up for our younger generations and present effective solutions to this crisis,” said Senator Merkley. “Naloxone saves lives, and helping schools stock and administer it is an important part of what needs to be a multi-pronged effort to tackle this crisis.”
Senator Rick Scott said, “Across the United States, the fentanyl crisis continues to rage and take the lives of innocent Americans. I’ve talked to parents all across the Sunshine State who have dealt with the crushing loss of a child to fentanyl, and know too well that Florida has not been spared from this deadly crisis, and neither have our schools. Parents deserve the comfort that if the unimaginable happens, our schools are as prepared as possible to save lives. That is why Senator Merkley and I have introduced the bipartisan School Access to Naloxone Act to make sure that our schools have the resources they need, like training and Naloxone, to respond effectively in the case of an overdose. I hope to see this deadly crisis end soon, but until that happens I won’t stop fighting to protect our kids from these killer drugs.”
The number of adolescent overdose deaths in the United States has been steadily on the rise, with fatalities increasing from 492 cases in 2019 to, in the most recent available data, 1,146 cases in 2021. Most opioid overdose deaths could be avoided by the timely administration of naloxone, a safe and effective opioid reversal medication.
With an increase in addiction and opioid overdose in American adolescents, it’s critical to ensure schools have the resources, training, and federal support to combat this crisis. The School Access to Naloxone Act aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths in young Americans by encouraging the stocking of naloxone and the training of staff on its safe administration in school settings.
