A public vending machine in Bakersfield doesn’t sell snacks or soda. It actually doesn't sell anything at all. But those that have an ID number are able to come and enter that number and get free access to Narcan, sexual protection, feminine hygiene products, and safe injection kits.
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00:00 Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us for 23 ABC News at five. I'm
00:03 Mark Blaine. A few years ago, COVID-19 might have been considered the leading
00:08 threat to public health. However, a new survey is showing that's not the case
00:13 anymore. Those surveyed said the leading national threats are opioids, obesity
00:17 and guns, with COVID-19 being close to the bottom of the list. Some of these
00:21 hit close to home here in Kern County, especially when it comes to the topic
00:25 of opioids. Since 2013, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have taken hold
00:31 of the public. Data from the California Department of Public Health shows a
00:35 dramatic increase in deaths in the state from 2013 when there were just
00:39 under 2000 opioid related deaths. Those numbers quickly shot up toward the end
00:45 of 2020 with over 3000 deaths. And last year, that number increased to just
00:49 under 7000. To combat this, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration approved
00:54 Narcan for over the counter use. Ever since, it has become the standard
00:59 treatment for opioid overdose. It's safe and easy to use and works almost
01:04 immediately. Now it's becoming even more accessible to Kern County residents
01:08 as one local organization has developed a Narcan vending machine. Here's 23
01:13 ABC's Corey O'Leary with more on how it's helping the community. This is a
01:18 public vending machine, but it doesn't sell snacks or soda. It actually
01:22 doesn't sell anything at all. Those who have an I. D. Number able to come
01:26 enter that number and get free access to Narcan sexual protection, feminine
01:31 hygiene products and safe injection kits. The idea is to remove the
01:36 barriers to these items for our most vulnerable populations. The eight
01:40 digits
01:41 hit pound. That's Dr Ashley Herrera, who first started looking into health
01:47 vending machines after conducting research in partnership with Clinica
01:51 Sierra Vista to find ways to combat opioid overdoses. While this has been
01:55 done in Europe for over 30 years, it's relatively new in the United States.
01:59 The research was really promising with their naloxone distribution rates and
02:04 some of the associations about decreasing opioid overdoses with
02:08 funding from Anthem Blue Cross. Dr Herrera and service project interns
02:11 from Cal State Bakersfield were able to get the vending machine up and running
02:15 in June at Clinica Sierra Vista's location on Baker Street in Old Town
02:19 Kern. They can come every day as often as they need it. They can keep coming
02:22 back to get the supplies they need to stay healthy to gain access to the
02:25 machine. People in need, most of whom are experiencing homelessness,
02:29 volunteer non identifying information such as age, ethnic group and housing
02:33 situation, then receive an I. D. Number that can be used to access the machine.
02:36 This machine is hooked up to Wi Fi and we're able to track utilization rates
02:40 for our participants and see what kinds of products people are most interested
02:44 in using. Herrera is able to see what items are being distributed and the
02:48 demographic information from the user. The safer injection, um, is the most
02:53 popular kit that we have followed closely by safer sex. Narcan. Since its
02:59 launch in June, the vending machine has vended 161 items. Fernando, a master of
03:03 social work student who is an intern with the project, says the machine
03:07 removes the stigma someone might find at a clinic. They don't have to go into
03:10 like a clinic in person and get their kid. It's gonna come here anytime they
03:14 want. So it's a lot of kind of like freedom to come here and just get
03:18 whatever they want to get without any stigma. One man who wasn't comfortable
03:21 giving me his name was sitting in the parking lot near the machine told me he
03:24 didn't have an I. D. Number himself, but said he believed it was important to
03:27 have access to Narcan and other medical supplies that could help those using
03:31 drugs do so as safely as possible. I know it's not advocating or promoting
03:35 any kind of using of any illegal substances yet when an adult is already
03:40 chosen to to partake in that lifestyle,
03:45 they must keep it personal and safe. Dr. Herrera told me there were plans to
03:50 install more machines like this throughout the county. The next site
03:54 will be at the L Street Clinic in partnership with KBHRS and Public
03:57 Health. That machine will be a little bit different and it will offer sterile
04:01 syringes as part of the safer injection kits. It also have HIV testing kits and
04:06 pregnancy testing kits as well. Dr Herrera told me that a couple more
04:10 months of data collection will really help her understand the needs of these
04:14 vulnerable populations in Old Town Kern Coriole area 23 abc News connecting you.