UCLA Expands Health Vending With Round-the-Clock Machine

UCLA is expanding its campus health vending program with a new Be Well Bruin Express machine outside the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center that operates around the clock, according to a Daily Bruin report. The initiative brings together the Ashe Center, UCLA's Health Education and Resource Team and UCLA Vending Services. The machines offer free naloxone, fentanyl test strips, condoms and menstrual products, while other supplies including bandages, thermometers, ice packs and pregnancy tests will carry charges, although prices had not yet been determined. The new outdoor unit repurposes machines previously used exclusively to distribute COVID-19 PCR test kits. Unlike the health vending machines already operating at Covel Commons and Ackerman Union, it provides 24-hour access. Student Wellness Commissioner Daniela Castro told the Daily Bruin that convenient placement and extended availability can help students obtain supplies between classes or late at night. For operators, the rollout is another example of how universities are becoming reliable anchor locations for health and wellness vending, with free harm-reduction products paired with paid essentials to sustain the programs. Source: Vending Times — https://www.vendingtimes.com/news/ucla-expands-health-vending-access-with-round-the-clock-machine/