This vending machine isn’t intended to quench thirst or banish the munchies. It’s there to save lives.
Perspective by John Kelly/November 13, 2023
Community health nurse Savannah Wong stands near a vending machine on Seventh Street NW that dispenses such items as clean syringes and overdose treatments. (John Kelly/The Washington Post)
One of Washington’s most unusual vending machines sits on Seventh Street NW in the Shaw neighborhood. Neatly displayed inside the machine is something you’d expect to find — bottled water — and lots of things you wouldn’t: clean syringes, fentanyl test strips and doses of naloxone, the drug that can reverse opioid overdoses.
This vending machine isn’t intended to quench thirst or banish the munchies. It’s there to save lives.
The machine was placed outside the nonprofit Bread for the City last year. Recently, a second machine was installed outside the charity’s building in Southeast Washington. All the items inside are free of charge, accessible by calling a number on the side and punching in a code.
“The goal of the vending machines, and all of our harm-reduction services, is to reduce the health risks associated with drug use,” said Savannah Wong, a community health nurse at Bread for the City.
The risks are many. Sharing or reusing needles can lead to the transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and other infectious diseases. Snorting, shooting or swallowing something laced with fentanyl can lead to an overdose. An overdose can lead to death.
The vending machines are funded by a grant from D.C. Health, part of a partnership with HIPS, a nonprofit that was founded 30 years ago to educate sex workers about how to stay healthy. The group now spearheads harm-reduction programs around the city. (Family and Medical Counseling Services is another partner in the city’s pilot program. Earlier this year, machines were placed outside some D.C. firehouses.)
Said Wong: “The goal of our harm-reduction program — including the vending machines — is to provide easy, low-barrier access to medical supplies and wellness supplies to people that need it the most.”
The city, like much of the country, is in a drug addiction crisis.
“We know that the number of fatal opioid overdoses has been trending upward,” Wong said. Last year, 461 people died of drug overdoses in the District, a fivefold increase from a decade ago.
The vending machines contain test kits that allow people to check whether a pill or powder they’re about to ingest contains fentanyl, a dangerous compound added by the makers of illegal drugs. Also in the machines are complete injection kits, with tourniquets, syringes and small metal receptacles in which users prepare their drugs. And in case of an overdose, there are doses of naxolone, the generic name for Narcan. Instructions on how to administer Narcan are printed on the side of the machine.
A fatal overdose can be prevented with Narcan, Wong said.
“Anyone can come at any time, call the phone number or enter a preset code,” Wong said. “It’s really fast and anonymous. We’re hoping that that kind of low-barrier access will be able to help with our opioid crisis here.”
The harm-reduction efforts are just one part of Bread for the City’s medical work. The nonprofit — a partner in The Post’s Helping Hand campaign — provides primary care doctors, dental and vision clinics, and a behavioral health clinic.
“People who are living with a low income have so many different problems in their lives,” Wong said. “They’re looking for stable housing. They need food. They need social services and legal services.”
Add addiction and it’s even harder for people to find stability.
“We really have to start at the bottom,” Wong said.
Some cities have balked at needle-exchange programs, arguing that they encourage drug use. But according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse: “Nearly 30 years of research show these programs are safe, effective, and cost-saving tools that can prevent HIV and high-risk injection behaviors among people who inject drugs.”
What’s more, the programs can increase the likelihood someone will enter a drug-treatment program. Knowing that Bread for the City is looking out for their health in this one way may make potential clients more amenable to accepting help in other ways.
“They need help here, but they really can’t focus on those things until they get themselves in order,” Wong said. “They need to be in good health. They need access to health-care services, treatment programs. It’s something they want to do. They want to get their lives back on track. That’s what we’re here for.”