TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa nonprofit decided to keep its harm reduction vending machine and make it available 24/7 after Oklahoma pulled the plug on its funding.
2 News first told you about these machines in 2023 when the state announced it would roll out 40 of them across Oklahoma:
While every machine isn't the same, the one at Health Outreach Prevention Education, or HOPE, has free supplies, including naloxone, HIV self-test kits, condoms and lubricant, sterile syringes, fentanyl test strips, first aid kits, and pregnancy tests.
The HOPE harm reduction vending machine is now at the organization's future clinic site at 51st and Yale and it's accessible any time.
However, this isn't the case for the other vending machines rolled out by the state.
Just earlier this month, we told you the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse decided the program was too expensive.
HOPE organizers said the demand for their machine was already high, but they expect it to grow with other machines being shut down.
“These supplies, especially Narcan, save lives,” said Taryn Norman, executive director of HOPE. “A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control shows that overdose deaths decreased this year for the first time since 2020, declining by 10 percent from April 2023 to April 2024. Access to free Narcan is crucial to continuing this trend.”
Staff plans to restock the machine daily, but note that demand is always high.
- Previous coverage >>> Free Narcan vending machines accessible in Oklahoma
We asked Tulsan Dennis Bartley how he feels about the vending machine staying in use.
"I'm glad, and I hope for it. I'm sure it will touch or impact someone I know," said Bartley.
HOPE staff said it's so critical to the community that people have even used it to save pets by giving them Narcan with the push of a button.
Bartley said he's glad the community has another resource.
"I think it's the community looking out for itself. It's identified the problem, and it's looking to try and correct or help it," said Bartley.
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