As Heather Williams takes nursing students on tours through the halls of Wakefield High School, she makes a point of showing them red boxes mounted on the walls.
They contain naloxone, which has increasingly become available in D.C.-area schools. She also explains the Arlington school district allows kids to carry the opioid overdose treatment if their parents provide permission.
In the years since a Wakefield student died after a suspected overdose in the school bathroom, Williams has worked to gain students’ trust, warn them about the dangers of opioid use and connect them with any medical services they may need.
Last year, she connected over 100 kids with community health providers and administered 271 vaccines.
In May, Williams, a public health nurse finishing her fifth year at Wakefield, was recognized as Virginia’s Nurse of the Year. The honor came from Virginia’s Department of Health.
“I’m just showing up consistently and making my clinic a safe space for these students, and so they see my face every day,” Williams said.
“I’m able to listen to them. I’m able to recognize when they may have some needs, whether they may be health needs, mental health needs, whatever their needs are, I’m trying to meet those needs.”
Many mornings, without an ailment and before the school day starts, Williams said students visit the clinic to greet her. If she’s off campus on any given day, they ask where she was.
Those relationships, Williams said, stem from “listening to them, non-judgmental, meeting them where they’re at, not judging them for anything, and just educating them on the level that they need.”
Each day, Williams administers medications and vaccines and helps care for students with chronic health care needs. In some cases, she is the first or only medical provider a student will see, because “some families might not have the legal status or health insurance or a medical home to quickly call the doctor and say, ‘Hey, I’m sick, I broke my arm, my tooth hurts, I need to go to the dentist,'” Williams said.
In 2023, facing a rise in youth opioid overdoses and the death of student Sergio Flores, Williams said it was clear there needed to be a focus on education, offering students age-appropriate educational materials and connecting them to community resources they might need.
“If I can build trust with the community, especially with teens or adolescents, I can build that trust and give them the tools or the education that they need to make life saving decisions,” Williams said.
Through that work, Williams said she warned students against taking candy or cookies from friends. She also emerged as a confidant for some, recognizing that they felt more comfortable with her than family members or friends.
Outside of the school’s campus, Williams mentors teen moms and is a community engagement coordinator with the Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative. She was part of several events that emphasized overdose prevention and harm reduction, according to a news release.
“Being able to just see their smiles, to know that I am their safe person in that building, that is all it takes for me,” Williams said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 海角精品黑料. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
