MIWAUKEE — Milwaukee County is now home to 19 Harm Reduction Vending Machines aimed to combat the opioid crisis and overdose deaths.

Eight new vending machines were added Monday to the original collection of 11, according to the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

What You Need To Know

  • Milwaukee County is now home to 19 Harm Reduction Vending Machines aimed to combat the opioid crisis and overdose deaths

  • Eight new vending machines were added Monday to the original collection of 11 

  • Each machine is stocked with fentanyl/xylazine combination testing packets

  • You can find a full map of the locations here

Each machine is stocked with fentanyl/xylazine combination testing packets.

“Keeping Milwaukee County residents safe and healthy requires a community effort,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “Increasing access to supplies, removing barriers such as cost and destigmatizing the use of these life-saving tools has an overwhelmingly positive impact on our community. I am grateful to the Milwaukee County DHHS Behavioral Health Services team for their work in not only this initiative, but all the harm reduction initiatives they are championing. I also applaud the community businesses and organizations who have stepped up to host a Harm Reduction Vending Machine and provide this resource to their community.”

Milwaukee County launched the initial 11 machines in Aug. 2023. They provided free access to several harm reduction and prevention supplies, including nasal naloxone, fentanyl test strips, drug deactivation pouches, medication lock bags and gun locks.

Over the last year, those machines have distributed more than 4,500 boxes of naloxone, 5,100 fentanyl test strips, 1,500 drug deactivation bags, 3,300 medication lock bags and 2,500 gun locks.

According to Milwaukee County data, there were at least 645 confirmed overdose deaths in 2023. From Jan. 1, 2024 to April 23, 2024, there were 136 confirmed overdose deaths.

Leaders said the addition of the eight other machines will work to further increase access to life-saving supplies in the county, as most are within one or two blocks of a Milwaukee County Transit System route. According to data provided by DHHS, at least 90% of Milwaukee County residents who experienced an overdose in 2023 were within a 10-minute drive of a vending machine; one in five were within a 10-minute walk.

“These harm reduction vending machines are designed to save lives,” said Milwaukee County Chief Health Policy Advisor Ben Weston. “With over 94% of opioid overdoses in Milwaukee County caused by fentanyl and a record nearly 30% involving the animal tranquilizer xylazine, the addition of the new combined fentanyl/xylazine test strips is a critical step in harm reduction in our community. We saw progress in 2023, and we continue to see signs of further decline in overdose deaths in our community this year. These vending machines from DHHS are one of the multiple essential steps Milwaukee County is taking to fight the opioid epidemic and make Milwaukee County the healthiest in the state.”

Here are the locations of the eight additional Harm Reduction Vending Machines:

  • 4th Dimension Sobriety – 500 E. Center Street
  • Benedict Center (Sisters Program) – 209 W. Orchard Street
  • Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center – 5000 W. National Avenue
  • Forest Home Health Center – 1316 Forest Home Avenue
  • Kuscuiszko Sport & Community Center – 2201 S. 7th Street
  • Rogers Behavioral Health: West Allis Campus – 1101 W. Lincoln Avenue
  • Vin Baker Recovery – 4757 N. 76th Street
  • Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. – 3732 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200

You can find a full map here.

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