Vending machine in Winnipeg providing harm reduction supplies

A Winnipeg health centre is making harm reduction and hygiene supplies more accessible to those in need.

On Wednesday, NorWest Co-op Community Health unveiled its first health box.

This initiative involves an interactive dispensing machine that provides low-barrier access to a variety of supplies, including naloxone kits, clean needles, socks and bottles of water.

Stephanie Ens, executive director of NorWest Co-op Community Health, said the health box will be helpful for those who find it hard to admit to others that they need the supplies.

“This removes all of the stigma, all of the barriers,” she said. “Folks can get what they need without having to say who they are, why they need it, what they might be using it for and it’s free and available at any time.

Ens said that people will have the option of answering a few questions to help inform future services; however, it is not required.

“It gives us a sense of what folks are needing and who might be accessing those,” she said.

“So it can help guide our future programs and services down the road.”

The products are available free of charge, but there are limitations on how many items someone can access at one time.