Ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration mark a milestone in equitable access to life-saving supplies and recovery services.
BOSTON, MA (September 18, 2025) – During a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 10 Gove Street location in East Boston, NeighborHealth announced the official launch of Boston’s first 24-hour Public Health Vending Machine. This new technology marks a major milestone in the organization’s harm reduction and recovery support services, offering free, anonymous access to life-saving resources in a judgment-free setting.
Launched in partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), this innovative machine was purchased by BPHC’s Boston Overdose Data to Action Program. NeighborHealth will maintain the machine and stock it with essential items, purchased with grant funding, including mini-hygiene kits, naloxone (Narcan), fentanyl test strips, menstrual products, safe injection kits, condoms, sunblock, socks, blankets and more. The machine is the first of its kind in Boston to offer 24/7, outdoor access, unlike others that are only available during business hours or inside closed facilities.
“This initiative is about connecting people to preventative healthcare,” said Julio Mazul, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at NeighborHealth. “Those struggling with addiction can now have around-the-clock access to tools of survival, empathy and healing. Every supply we dispense is a chance to prevent death, reduce disease, and build trust with communities that have long been excluded from traditional care. We want our community to know that we care about them and are here to help them get well.”
In development since late 2023, the public health vending machine involved input from multiple community stakeholders and reflects NeighborHealth’s commitment to meeting people where they are and providing convenient healthcare options that can reduce overdoses, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and reduce barriers to health and wellness.
“We believe healthcare is a human right, no matter your background, no matter your journey,” said Desiree Millett, LICSW, Clinical Administrative Director of NeighborHealth’s Recovery Services Program. “This vending machine is an extension of that belief. It gives people access to care and dignity, especially in moments when they may feel alone. Too many lives have been lost to stigma and neglect, so, this machine is for them, and for the people still fighting.”
The machine features product descriptions in multiple languages and is free to use, with a simple interface and a four-item limit per transaction. NeighborHealth and BPHC will track monthly usage data to refine services, building on national and international studies showing that public health vending machines promote safety and increase engagement with care without encouraging risky behavior.
“Public health vending machines are an innovative way to bring life-saving harm reduction tools directly to those who need them most,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. “The City of Boston and Boston Public Health Commission are proud to partner with NeighborHealth on this important intervention.”
The vending machine is located near NeighborHealth’s 24/7 Emergency Department entrance in East Boston, supported by signage, a sharps disposal bin, and a resource board. The ribbon-cutting event was followed by a community celebration at 79 Paris Street, the East Boston location of the Recovery Services program.
About NeighborHealth
NeighborHealth, formerly East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, is one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, serving over 130,000 people and recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a National Quality Leader. For more than 50 years, NeighborHealth has offered access to comprehensive primary care, specialty care and emergency care for patients in the Commonwealth. In a first-of-its-kind merger in 2020, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center joined forces with the South End Community Health Center and expanded services to patients who live and work in Boston’s South End and Roxbury neighborhoods. NeighborHealth champions innovative care models to actively bridge health equity gaps in our low-income and immigrant communities with services unique from other healthcare providers in our state. For more information, visit www.neighborhealth.com.
