Free machines provide help and hope

James Hill, Executive Director

We’re all aware of the opioid and mental health crises facing Ross County. As far back as 2016, with the Community Read visit from Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland, Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library has been at the forefront of sharing information, resources, and direct services to our community around these topics.

This past summer, the library was contacted by the National Institute of Health’s HEALing Communities Study about a potential collaboration. Specifically, they were working with our local Hope Partnership Project to secure grant funding for harm-reduction vending machines. A similar program has been very successful in Brown County, Ohio and other parts of the state.

The Hope Partnership Project was awarded the grant to purchase the machines and in November 2023, the machines were installed. Because of the library’s prime locations throughout the county, we were asked to provide outdoor spaces for the machines. Since no library resources were needed to buy or install the vending machines and the all of the supplies would be provided, monitored, and restocked directly by the Hope Partnership Project, it was a win-win for the library.

After the first month, over 50 unique individuals were registered across Ross County to access everything from naloxone to pregnancy tests and fentanyl testing strips.

The harm-reduction vending machines are available at the Main Library Annex and Northside branch in Chillicothe, the Howard S. Young branch in Frankfort, and the Kingston and Richmond Dale branches. The discreet placement provides privacy for patrons, but keeps access easy, too.

Machines are free and anonymous, but for statistical and grant purposes, registration is required. The goal is to remove obstacles for those who need access to these important supplies. We want everyone to make good choices and to practice harm reduction for themselves, friends or family members.