3 days Ago By Sarah Mueller
From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know! Delaware is rolling out harm reduction vending machines to help fight the opioid epidemic throughout the state. The five vending machines are outside and the items, which include overdose antidote naloxone , safe sex kits and other hygiene products, are free.
They’re available day and night and will be restocked by the Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Lt. Gov.
Bethany Hall Long said the machines offer products that will save lives, such as wound care kits for people addicted to xylazine , an animal tranquilizer that can cause irreversible skin ulcers. “Many times, individuals have fear or stigma,” she said. “So we want a 24/7 judgment-free zone where individuals can access critical and often life-saving kits.
” Ribbon cutting of a harm reduction vending machine in Dover on Nov. 13. From left to right: Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Deputy Cabinet Secretary Dava Newnam, Brandywine Counseling and Community Services Prevention Program Manager Holly Rybinski, DHSS Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Harm (DSAMH) Reduction Coordinator Rebecca Urey, Brandywine Counseling and Community Services CEO Lynn Morrison, State Rep.
Kerri Evelyn Harris, DSAMH Director Joanna Champney, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long.
(Courtesy of DHSS) The vending machines are located statewide, with sites at four Brandywine Counseling locations in Wilmington, Newark, Dover and Milford, as well as the Georgetown Pallet Village . DHSS partnered with Brandywine Counseling and Community Services, a nonprofit that provides addiction care, to implement this pilot program. ‘Clinic on wheels’: Cooper Health takes substance use treatment on the road with new mobile van in Camden The van was funded with Camden County’s opioid settlement dollars.
4 weeks ago Hall Long said the vending machines would also provide items that benefit public health, such as tests for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. DSAMH Director Joanna Champney said the project was funded by federal and state money, along with donations. She said the machines fill a need for those who are not yet ready to seek treatment.
“This provides a confidential, very quick and discreet option for people to get what they need,” she said. “This is part of our effort to really de-stigmatize accessing the support that people need in order to protect themselves from overdose death .” DHSS announced in April that drug overdoses were slightly down for the first quarter of the year and for the first time in a decade , although the data did show rising fatal overdoses and drug use in Black and Hispanic/Latino communities.
But in May the state did see spikes in opioid overdoses in Kent and Sussex counties . Addiction resources Get daily updates from WHYY News! The free WHYY News Daily newsletter delivers the most important local stories to your inbox. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information.
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