# Exploring the accessibility, acceptability, and utilization of a community-based harm reduction vending machine among persons with limited opportunity structures.

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2024 · $179,852

## Abstract

No studies to date have addressed community-based harm reduction vending machine (HRVM)
reach and effectiveness in harm reduction supply access and decreasing health disparities
among racial and ethnic minorities, persons experiencing homelessness (PEH), and justice-
involved individuals. The long-term goal is to determine if HRVMs provide an equitable
approach to accessing harm reduction supplies and improve health outcomes among people
who use drugs (PWUDs) with multiple vulnerabilities. The objective of this proposal
complements the overall research aims of the parent study and will explore the opportunity
structures that affect utilization and dispensation rates of harm reduction supplies, including
naloxone, from a community-based HRVM and understanding perceptions about accessibility
and acceptability of the community-based HRVM compared to traditional harm reduction
approaches. The central hypothesis is that HRVMs will increase equitable access to harm
reduction supplies. The rationale underlying this proposal is that Black and Latine populations
as well as PEH and justice-involved individuals experience higher risk of opioid-related
overdose, yet PWUDs with multiple vulnerabilities experience a multitude of barriers to
accessing harm reduction supplies, including naloxone. The proposed work in conjunction with
the parent grant aims to inform the development of evidence-based, equitable, low-resource,
and low-threshold harm reduction approaches to address opioid-related morbidity and mortality.
The central hypothesis will be tested by pursuing two specific aims: 1) Evaluate accessibility
and acceptability of the HRVM to dispense harm reduction supplies as compared to traditional
harm reduction distribution approaches among Latine and Black Americans as well as PEH and
justice-involved persons; 2) Determine the extent to which opportunity structures affect
utilization and dispensation rates of harm reduction supplies from the HVRM among PWUDs
with multiple vulnerabilities. We will pursue these aims by conducting a mixed methods study,
including 200 cross-sectional surveys and 20 qualitative interviews with HRVM program
participants. The proposed research is significant, because it is the first study to explore the
accessibility and acceptability of a community-based HRVM dispensing naloxone and other
harm reduction supplies as well as to examine the extent to which opportunity structures affect
utilization and dispensation rates of harm reduction supplies from the HRVM on a longitudinal
basis. This work will develop foundational resources that will be used by other researchers for
equitable harm reduction approaches to increasing naloxone engagement and re-engagement.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11052925
- **Project number:** 3R01DA055673-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter John Davidson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $179,852
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-06-15 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11052925

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11052925, Exploring the accessibility, acceptability, and utilization of a community-based harm reduction vending machine among persons with limited opportunity structures. (3R01DA055673-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11052925. Licensed CC0.

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