Public health vending machine in Brooklyn dispensed 100 Narcan kits in 1st week, officials say
NEW YORK -- New York City's first public health vending machine is already making a difference, officials say.
The machine opened two weeks ago on the corner of Broadway and Decatur street in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn. It dispenses critical medical supplies for free.
In the first week, 100 kits of Narcan, the drug used to reverse an opioid overdose, were distributed.
"We all know people who would be alive today if a machine like this had existed. Whether we're working with someone who winds up dying of an infection because they couldn't access free wound care to someone who overdoses because they couldn't get free, easy access to Narcan," said Rebecca Linn-Walton, chief strategy officer for Services for the Underserved.
The machine is restocked daily. The city says additional health vending machines will be available in the next year.
