DC Health announces pilot program for lifesaving medical vending machines – WTOP News
The D.C. government has announced the rollout of harm reduction vending machines that will allow residents access to live-saving medicine and other wellness products.
The D.C. government has announced the rollout of harm reduction vending machines that will allow residents access to lifesaving medicine and other wellness products.
DC Health, in partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and D.C. Fire and EMS, said that these vending machines will provide lifesaving tools like naloxone, or Narcan, and fentanyl test strips, along with hygiene and wellness products.
This type of machine is becoming more common in cities across the country due to the rise in opioids usage and overdoses, and their ability to provide access to critical services that will help the people who need it most.
In October 2021, DC Health awarded grants to the Family and Medical Counseling Services and HIPS harm reduction services to start up the implementation of the vending machines in the District.
“This pilot project will evaluate the utilization patterns and positive impact these products have on the well-being of vulnerable communities in the area,” DC Health said in a press release.
Four of the planned six machines have been placed in areas the department deems as having “higher than average rates of drug overdose and unhoused populations.”
Here are the locations where D.C. residents can find the vending machines:
- DCFD Engine #7: 1101 Half Street, SW
- DCFD Engine #27: 4260 Minnesota Avenue, NE
- DCFD Engine #33: 101 Atlantic Street, SE
- Whitman-Walker Health Center: 2301 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, SE
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