This past summer, the City of Richmond installed its first harm reduction vending machines. Operated via touchscreen interface, the machines dispense items such as naloxone, fentanyl testing strips, and basic personal hygiene products at no cost.
Two machines were installed in July — one at Marshall Plaza and another at Southside Plaza. The third proposed harm reduction machine was installed at East End Library on Saturday, Oct. 11.
What’s the project status now? We spoke with Project Director Anna Jones to answer a few questions about current installations + upcoming plans.
How much have the machines been used?
The city hasn’t officially released numbers, but Jones shared some recent stats collected by Jasmine Blue with RHHD.
Between July 11 and Sept. 30, the first two machines (not including the East End installation) dispensed 704 free items. That number includes:
- 184 hand wipes
- 180 naloxone
- 171 first aid + hygiene kits
- 110 fentanyl test strips
- 59 menstrual supply items
Will the city install more machines?
Funding for three new machines has been approved through Virginia’s OAA, pending City Council approval in early 2026. ”We’re in the really early stages of that process,” says Jones.
Will the machines change or evolve?
“My hope is that they continue to increase access to naloxone 24/7 — that’s really our primary goal — and I hope we can expand,” says Jones.
According to Jones, the department also hopes to offer more sophisticated wound care kits and potentially introduce community message boards on each machine, enabling locals to post additional resources, events, and information.
