North Adams — Berkshire Health Systems has announced that Berkshire Harm Reduction has deployed a vending machine for clients in northern Berkshire County that will be accessible after normal hours for the Berkshire Harm Reduction office in North Adams. The vending machine is located outside Berkshire Harm Reduction’s North Adams office, at 6 Main Street, adjacent to North Adams City Hall.
The vending machine provides free access to Harm Reduction clients and contains the supplies that are also available during regular business hours at the brick-and-mortar Harm Reduction locations. This includes safer injection equipment, such as syringes, tourniquets, alcohol pads and band-aids, different size sharps containers, fentanyl test strips, emergency contraception, period products like pads and tampons, and home pregnancy tests. In addition, there will be safer smoking supplies like pipes, filters, and mouthpieces, wound-care kits, and naloxone (better known as Narcan).
The vending machine is provided to Berkshire Harm Reduction through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the North Adams machine will be the first deployed in the Commonwealth.
“The City of North Adams is pleased to partner with Berkshire Harm Reduction on providing this unique access to harm-reduction supplies that can help to prevent overdose and disease that can come with substance use disorder,” said North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey. “North Berkshire has been hit extremely hard by the opioid epidemic, and having access to supplies 24/7 is critical to help those who are coping with [substance use disorder].”
Access is at no cost to clients. Harm Reduction clients who wish to use the vending machine receive a code from the office to access the machine, and the machine cannot be used without the code.
Berkshire Harm Reduction’s goal is to reduce the negative consequences associated with drug use, such as the spread of infectious diseases. In addition to free sterile supplies, fentanyl test strips, and Narcan, Berkshire Harm Reduction offers testing (individuals 13 and over) for HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as basic wound care and abscess prevention.
Berkshire Harm Reductions aims to mitigate health complications from substance use by providing comprehensive services to people with substance use disorder. Harm Reduction has two offices, located at 6 Main Street in North Adams and 42 Summer Street in Pittsfield. Additionally, it has installed numerous Narcan boxes across the county where anyone can access the life-saving medication.
