BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Right now, if you're driving down Baker Street in Bakersfield, you'll find yourself passing by a regular parking lot. But that parking lot, the lot outside the Baker Street Clinic, will soon be the location of a no-shame resource thanks to some inspired members of our community.
Dr. Ashleigh Herrera is a social worker, as well as an assistant professor at California State University Bakersfield.
"Harm reduction is meeting our clients where they're at," said Dr. Herrera, and her latest project for CSUB graduate students in social work is implementing harm reduction in an innovative way - through a vending machine.
Dr. Herrera believes this method of distributing resources will give one of the city's most vulnerable populations, IV drug users, a way to access resources without having to ask directly.
"We dispose of supplies so that they are not left out where someone else could inadvertently be hurt by it. We also have Narcan available so that folks could help to save lives by helping to reverse overdoses from opioids," explained Herrera.
The vending machine would also stock wound care kits, safer sex kits with condoms, personal hygiene products like soap, shampoo, and period care items, as well as tourniquets, cotton filters, and alcohol prep pads.
"Used right, they would be able to keep the wound site clean and avoid infection," said Dr. Herrera.
Many people believe that introducing harm reduction resources like this into a community actually enables harm rather than reducing it. Dr. Herrera has considered this concern.
"The biggest thing that I would say is you can't help someone who's dead, right? So if we want to wait for that miracle to happen, we have to keep people alive," said Dr. Herrera.
Dr. Herrera's students say that this opportunity to help those dealing with homelessness and addiction issues has greatly benefited their education.
CSUB graduate student Daniel Lopez says it gives him the chance to see the real-world applications of the things he's learned in the classroom.
Meanwhile, student Fernando Gomez thinks offering this help addresses systemic inequality.
"I think, especially in America where we have a lot of resources, it's not about the people on top. It's about the people on the bottom and taking care of the ones that are more vulnerable and need our help," said Gomez.
The harm reduction vending machine will be put up in April outside of the Baker Street Clinic. Each person who uses the machine will have a unique ID number. The graduate students will use this data to analyze whether the introduction of the vending machine leads to any significant community outcomes.
