Vending machines once used by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health for naloxone and fentanyl test strips are up for sale.
The department set up the vending machines a year ago but has since removed them under new leadership.
Now, those same vending machines are available for purchase.
Commissioner Allie Friesen, who took over the department at the start of the year, called the vending machine rollout a “debacle” in a press conference unveiling her plans for the state agency. She said the vending machines started as a “prevention initiative,” but quickly morphed into a “marketing strategy.”
Friesen said she doesn’t dispute the effectiveness of a vending machine strategy as a whole, just how the department implemented it before she came on board. In a statement, she cited issues like stock shortages, machine malfunctions and logistical difficulties as reasons for terminating the program.
She said hospitals and tribal communities have reached out about acquiring the vending machines. The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services is responsible for orchestrating any sales.
“We hope they stay in Oklahoma,” Friesen said. “We'll do everything we can to make sure they stay in this great state.”
Although the machines may soon have new owners, Friesen said the department may still be involved
“We're happy to partner with them, continuing to provide Narcan and fentanyl test strip stock if they need help with that,” Friesen said.
Naloxone and fentanyl test strips are still available for free in Oklahoma. The mental health department’s mail-in program, nonprofit SHRED the Stigma and other harm reduction organizations continue to fuel a state supply.
