New technology bringing harm reduction supplies to those who need it
They may look like vending machines, but this new technology coming to Winnipeg and northern communities will help remove barriers for those looking to access harm reduction supplies and services.
Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM), an organization that looks to improve health and wellness services for First Nations people in northern Manitoba, has received eight dispensation machines.
"These machines are used in just a few jurisdictions across North America," said Dr. Barry Lavallee, the chief executive officer of KIM.
Lavallee said the machines will be used primarily to dispense low-intervention harm reduction supplies, such as naloxone, clean needles and hygiene products.
Two machines are being set up at the Amoowigamig public washroom space in downtown Winnipeg, run by the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre.
He said the remaining machines will be placed in communities around Manitoba, including in Churchill.
Unlike a vending machine, the supplies inside these units will be accessible by scanning a person's palm.
Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin has received eight dispensation machines which will be used primarily to dispense low-intervention harm reduction supplies. (Source: Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin)
"We'll have the workers at the washrooms, we'll put their palms in there so that they can gain access for anybody who wants something," Lavallee said.
While only workers will be able to access the machines at this point, he said full public access may be coming in the future.
He said the goal of these machines is to give some autonomy for people who need harm reduction services.
"A lot of people who are challenged with using drugs or substances or alcohol, they might face a lot of oppression, you know, because people have a lot of ideas about people who live in a homeless environment and might be using substances," Lavallee said. "We want culturally safe and a racism-free access to services that will help their lives."
He said at this point, the machines will not be used for opiate agonist therapy, nor for safe prescribing. However, KIM is looking to possibly expand the program to deliver COVID-19 immunizations and provide rapid testing for syphilis and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
A child killer legally changed his name in B.C. The province is trying to stop that from happening again
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.