Public health vending machine expands free health access in York

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Penn State College of Medicine and WellSpan Health launched a smart vending machine in York providing free health supplies and education to residents.

The interactive vending machine is designed to expand access to no-cost, lifesaving health and wellness supplies, public health education, and local support services.

“For many people, accessing basic health supplies or finding the right local support can be harder than it should be,” Dr. Alice Zhang, assistant professor of family and community medicine and principal investigator on the project, said in a statement. “By placing this machine in a trusted community setting, we’re helping reduce barriers and connect York residents with resources that support their health, safety and well-being.”

Representatives of Penn State College of Medicine WellSpan Health, York County, and local community organizations celebrated the launch of the “smart” public health vending machine, located at the Loretta Claiborne building at 605 S. George St. in York. The building is also home to the WellSpan Behavioral Health Walk-in Crisis Center, which provides 24/7 support for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis that does not require immediate medical care.

The interactive model features a touchscreen interface that does the following:

• Dispenses free health and wellness items such as personal care items, naloxone (Narcan), fentanyl and xylazine drug checking strips, HIV and other sexually transmitted infection self-test kits, condoms, wound care kits, pregnancy tests, period pads and tampons and cold/flu kits
• Delivers bilingual (English and Spanish) public health education videos and messaging, with Haitian Creole soon to be added
• Connects users directly to local support and community service organizations
• Enables longitudinal, anonymous data collection to help evaluate health needs in the community over time

According to a release, each public health vending machine was developed through input from community members and local partners, ensuring that decisions about location, supplies, educational content and local service connections reflect the needs of the people it is designed to serve.

The initiative was led by the College of Medicine in collaboration with WellSpan Health and local community partners, with financial support from York County. Per the release, it was made possible through initial funding from the College of Medicine’s Comprehensive Health Studies Collaborative Pilot Award in October 2022 and matching funds from the Department of Family and Community Medicine, which boosted the program’s development. Additional support came from the National Institute on Drug Abuse K23 Career Development Award and Penn State Clinical and Translational Institute’s KL2 Program.

The initiative uses community-driven design and innovative technology to improve access to essential health resources and better understand local health needs over time.

Other smart public health vending machines have been operating in Harrisburg, Millersburg, and Reading. Over Memorial Day weekend, the machines dispensed 96 items. The York machine dispensed 19 items over that holiday weekend.