(Des Moines, IA) -- A 24/7 vending machine offering harm reduction products like Narcan, Plan B, and gun locks now stands outside the Polk County Health Department.
“The vending machine really breaks down barriers for a lot of folks. If you need some of these products, it can be a big barrier, not just the price, but walking into somewhere and asking for it is really hard for people to do sometimes. So this is a way they can get what they need, when they need it,” said Addie Olson, Public Health Communications Officer with the Polk County Health Department.
No ID is required, and the supplies are free to the public.
Olson says that because the products are available over the counter, they’re able to provide these resources to the community in this way.
The machine has seen a steady increase in use since it opened in April. Over the past five months, it has dispensed more than 8,000 products to the community.
“All of the products in the machine are harm reduction tools, and we have limited space in there, so we had to be really thoughtful about what we could provide and what we’re able to offer through great community partnerships. We really looked at the community’s needs and what we could provide, and tried to meet in the middle,” said Olson.
The Polk County Health Department partners with the VA to supply free gun locks for the vending machine.
Linn and Johnson Counties also have harm reduction vending machines. Olson says Polk County hopes to expand and place more machines throughout the community in the future.