Where to find Richmond's new harm-reduction vending machines
Why it matters: The machines offer free, anonymous access to life-saving medical supplies 24/7, including Narcan, or naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
State play: While Virginia had the second-largest drop in overdose deaths in the country last year, over 1,500 Virginians still died from overdoses.
Fentanyl, the effects of which Narcan can counteract, is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths, per VDH data.
In addition to Narcan, the machines are stocked with fentanyl test strips, first aid kits and personal hygiene items.
If you go: Vending machines were installed last week at Marshall Plaza (downtown) and Southside Plaza (South Richmond).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
11 hours ago
- CBS News
Businesses on Pittsburgh's North Side petition city to shut down outreach center
Residents and businesses on Pittsburgh's North Side are banding together to petition the city to shut down a center that provides services to people experiencing homelessness and needles to people struggling with addiction. Those businesses said East Ohio Street has become the site of overdoses, thefts and assaults — creating an unsafe environment and keeping customers away. Lauren Bradley and her husband renovated a building on the street and turned it into an upscale espresso bar and shop, but she says all that street activity is keeping customers away. "Lack of foot traffic, people feel unsafe, financial hardship for a small business," said Lauren Bradley of Annex Espresso and Goods. The outreach center opened during the pandemic and is run now by the city's street outreach team, providing social services that include free needles. Though the center is well-intentioned, businesses say it's become a magnet for people struggling with addiction who shoot up drugs in alleyways and overdose on East Ohio Street, where KDKA found syringes and Narcan packages. "Having it located on East Ohio Street in the middle of a vibrant business district is not the right location for it," landscape architect John Buerkle said. Also citing a spate of recent assaults and thefts, the business owners have petitioned the mayor to move to the center. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt confirms the city is actively searching for another location, but he says that's not as easy as it sounds. "We have to be strategic, otherwise all we do is move the problem around over and over again," Schmidt said. Like the decommissioning of homeless encampments, Schmidt said the city doesn't want to relocate the center only to repeat the problems somewhere else. But the business owners say they've had enough and want action now. "You're not going to close it down immediately?" KDKA's Andy Sheehan asked Schmidt. "Not immediately," he said. "We do have every intention of moving it to a different location. We're just asking for a little more time to find a good location, so we're not just constantly moving it every six months or every year." The center will stay on East Ohio Street at least for the next several months, while the city tries to figure out which neighborhood will have it.
Axios
4 days ago
- Axios
Where to find Richmond's new harm-reduction vending machines
The city of Richmond installed its first public, harm-reduction vending machines last week, and plans to add more this year. Why it matters: The machines offer free, anonymous access to life-saving medical supplies 24/7, including Narcan, or naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. State play: While Virginia had the second-largest drop in overdose deaths in the country last year, over 1,500 Virginians still died from overdoses. Fentanyl, the effects of which Narcan can counteract, is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths, per VDH data. In addition to Narcan, the machines are stocked with fentanyl test strips, first aid kits and personal hygiene items. If you go: Vending machines were installed last week at Marshall Plaza (downtown) and Southside Plaza (South Richmond).
UPI
6 days ago
- UPI
Five hospitalized in another mass drug overdose incident in Baltimore
Baltimore police and fire personnel respond to a mass casualty overdose incident in West Baltimore on July 10. Another overdose incident was reported Friday in the same area. Photo courtesy of Baltimore Police Department/X July 19 (UPI) -- Five people in Baltimore were hospitalized for a reported mass overdose incident, one week after 27 were sickened in the same area of the city because of a "bad batch" of drugs, police said. The victims Friday were in serious condition, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said at a news conference, including addition to two who refused treatment after first responders deployed Narcan. The 911 calls started coming just before 9 a.m. Friday and not from a concentrated area as last week, police said. Both incidents are in the historic Penn North neighborhood of West Baltimore. "People have already heard what is out here and yet they still gotta go get it because their body is calling for it," one man who goes by the nickname 'Slim Rob' told WJZ-TV. "It's heartbreaking, man. It's heartbreaking. You got people's mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles, grandparents out here -- and the kids need them and yet they need that when you can be gone like this." On July 10, people were hospitalized in the incident in West Baltimore, which law enforcement officers and community advocates called a "bad batch of drugs." BPD & @BaltimoreFire are on scene at the intersection of Pennsylvania & North Avenues in reference to multiple individuals experiencing overdose symptoms. More information to follow as it becomes available. Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) July 10, 2025 "We understand that the supply across the city is very volatile right now," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "If you see someone who may be overdosing, help them. If you have Narcan, administer it. Call 911. Don't walk past anyone who may be experiencing an overdose. "You can literally save their life by stepping in. That person is a human, that person is a Baltimorean." Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the incidents are being investigated separately. "We also have numerous officers working the area having to locate who the buyers were, who the sellers were and mainly who is bringing the drugs into the area," Worley said. Five people were arrested three days later on July 13 in the area on a charge of drug possession with intent to distribute. It's unclear if the arrested were linked to the mass overdose, according to Baltimore police. "I understand the frustration," Scott said about Penn North residents, who felt their concerns have been ignored. "We're talking about a neighborhood ... that has been so disinvested in for so long. We're not going to change that overnight." Scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology who examined substances from last week said they contained fentanyl, a powerful painkiller; methylclonazepam, which has sedative effects; Mannitol, a diuretic; quinine, an anti-malaria drug; and caffeine. Narcan, which is the brand name of naloxone, and fentanyl strips were distributed to the affected neighborhood last week. "Today's incident is a painful reminder that our work is far from over," Scott said. In Baltimore, opioid overdose deaths reached a high of 1,006 in 2021 and dropped to 895 in 2022 before going back up to 952 in 2023. Last year, there were 698 opioid overdose-related deaths in the city, according to state data. "People fade away -- they've got agendas, other things to do," Vincent Timmons, an outreach specialist at Tuerk House, told the Baltimore Banner. "People don't remember that area. They're used to that."
