NEW YORK, NY – The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene unveiled the city’s first public health vending machine, hosted by Services for the Underserved to promote 24/7 access to a vending machine that makes available Narcan and crack pipes.
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“We are in the midst of an overdose crisis in our city, which is taking a fellow New Yorker from us every three hours and is a major cause of falling life expectancy in NYC,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “But we will continue to fight to keep our neighbors and loved ones alive with care, compassion and action. Public health vending machines are an innovative way to meet people where they are and to put life-saving tools like naloxone in their hands. We’ll leave no stone unturned until we reverse the trends in opioid-related deaths in our city.”
Narcan vending machines are nothing new. Cities throughout the United States have Narcan in vending machines. In September of 2022, a Narcan vending machine was installed at the Saginaw County Health Department.
“Overdose deaths are a growing public health concern,” says Christina Harrington, MPH, SCHD health officer, pointing to the 299% increase in opioid-related deaths in Michigan since 2011. “In 2020, 2,171 Michiganders died by opioid overdose – 55 in Saginaw County alone,” she notes. “Improving access to life-saving supplies by housing this vending machine in our building is an easy yes for us!”
Take a look at some of the reactions below to the news of the crack pipes being available in a vending machine.
