MILWAUKEE — Vending machines equipped with life-saving supplies are helping decrease the amount of opioid and drug overdoses in Milwaukee County.
On Tuesday morning, the Milwaukee County Executive Office held a press conference with several health professionals to announce they’re adding eight more harm reduction vending machines to Milwaukee. They started with 11 last year in the pilot program. After success with the first round of machines, they decided to add more.
“We have to make sure we’re prioritizing resources especially when it comes down to substance use disorders,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley told WTMJ. “We want to make sure we can save as many lives as possible, and that’s one of the reasons why we’re expanding this programming.”
Some of the places where the vending machines are located include AMRI Counseling Services, the Outreach Community Center (where the press conference was held), and the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center.
Crowley said there was an incident at the MLK Community Center where a woman was able to use two Narcan containers on two people who she noticed were overdosing.
“Because of her quick action and her easy access to Narcan, those two men lived to see another day,” he said.
More than 2,000 containers of Narcan were used from the vending machines in 2023. Some more items in the machines are gun locks, fentanyl testing strips, and deactivation pouches. Crowley called on businesses such as gas stations, universities, and community centers to apply for a harm reduction vending machine.
“To have this in a visible place will provide even greater access for those who are going through this crisis,” he said.
President and CEO of Visit Milwaukee Peggy Williams-Smith told WTMJ that the issue of substance abuse impacts a wide variety of people.
“It doesn’t matter what zip code you live in, what you do for your day job, or what your upbringing looked like. It’s everywhere,” Williams-Smith said.
She said the issue also extends way past just substance abuse.
“It extends to the world we’re living in right now,” Williams-Smith said. “We wanna make sure that if someone has an opportunity to be saved… that opportunity is given to them.”
Clarence Jenkins from Behavioral Health Services told WTMJ the machines also come with educational resources to help administer the resources in the machines.
“We gave each of the agencies posters, postcards and provided them step-by-step instructions for administering the things that’s in the vending machines,” Jenkins said. “This harm reduction administration training has been taken by over 90 different county employees, including program executives, securities, volunteers, etc.”
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said it’s important to keep pushing for ways to get these resources to as many areas as possible to continue the work they’re doing.
“If we’re all not a part of the solution, then we’re contributing to the problem just a little bit,” he said.
Businesses can apply for a harm reduction vending machine online and must do so by March 1st.
The goal is to have 25 harm-reduction vending machines by 2025.
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