A first-of-its-kind vending machine helps city battle overdose crisis
The city-funded vending machine gives out free medical supplies, including fentanyl test strips and naloxone
A potentially life-saving vending machine has landed in Brooklyn.
The city’s Health and Mental Hygiene Department announced Monday that the blue vending machine will dispense a variety of health related needs, including safer sex kits, tampons, vitamins, fentanyl test strips and naloxone (a.k.a. Narcan), which is a drug that reverses overdoses from opioids. All for free. The first one has been unveiled at 1676 Broadway in Ocean Hill-Brownsville.
Courtesy the New York City Department of Health
In a release, the city explained at the machine — first of its kind in New York City — is an “innovative, low-barrier strategy to reduce stigma and reach New Yorkers who may not already be connected to harm reduction services.” Machines installed in other cities and countries have reduced the overdose rates there, officials say.
New York, like other large cities, is battling overdoses at “historically high levels,” the city said. There were 2,668 overdose deaths in the city in 2021 — an increase from 2,103 the year prior. Fentanyl in particular was involved in 80 percent of all overdose deaths and if current trends continue, “2022 will be the deadliest year on record for overdose,” the city said.
“This public health vending machine will be a game-changer for this part of East Brooklyn,” said Perry Perlmutter, interim president and CEO at Services for the UnderServe, which is overseeing the initiative. “With it, we can provide free and easy access to life-saving tools that prevent overdoses, infections, and other health risks associated with substance use. ”
Using the 24/7 machine is easy and anonymous: Simply enter a NYC zip code and type in the numerical code with listed below the free product. Additional machines will be installed later this year.
