Prism Health North Texas announced the installation of three Nice Package vending machines offering free condoms at three strategic locations in Dallas-Fort Worth including an area college, bar, and retail community space.
The machines were purchased as part of the implementation of a Texas Department of State Health Services grant aimed at HIV and STI infection prevention. With rising rates of STI and HIV infection across the country and in Texas, condoms remain one of the most effective measures for infection prevention though recent times present financial barriers to regular, safe access to them.
“Condoms are a tried and true prevention method, though cost and access continue to be an issue,” Januari Fox, Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement for PHNTX said. “Vending machines as a means of delivering Nice Packages are accessible, safe, and innovative. The Nice Packages cannot be tampered with before being distributed, which is a common concern for publicly available free condoms.”
The vending machines are part of a larger strategy by PHNTX’s PACE department to utilize grant funding to maximize the reach and results of preventive programming. The location for each of the three machines was strategically selected based upon the surrounding populations, income levels, and health care access. By selecting three community spaces, a bar, a university, and a retail center, Nice Package will be directly available to a variety of age, gender, and ethnicity demographics. The initial three machines will serve as a pilot program, with the usage data for each used to consider funding and locations for additional vending machines.
Nice Package vending machines can be found at:
- Dallas Woody’s at 4011 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas 75219. The machine is located on the first floor of the bar, replacing an existing cigarette vending machine.
- The Shops at RedBird at 3662 West Camp Wisdom Road, Dallas 75237. The machine is located in the Dallas College Workforce Center at RedBird.
- A local university’s student center, accessible to enrolled students of the university.
Texas has the largest population of uninsured individuals in the United States, making prevention-focused, affordable resource programs like Nice Package essential for protecting and reducing healthcare costs. By preventing new infections with the utilization of condoms, PHNTX aims to reduce the burden of treating infections on the local and state healthcare systems. The Nice Package program distributed 154,245 condoms and 330 at-home HIV tests between September of 2023 and March of 2024 via the free online ordering and delivery system across the state of Texas.
“We’re thrilled to have the Nice Package vending machine here at Woody’s, it’s a big improvement on the methods of distributing free protection from the past,” said Brian Jones, General Manager. “The machine is tamper proof, offers everything our patrons need and is engaging and fun to use. We’ve seen a great reaction from our visitors and are proud to have this amenity for safety and health with us.”
“Meeting people where they are and reducing stigma for seeking sexual health services as much as possible is key to successful prevention efforts,” Marquesse Banks, Community Engagement Manager for PHNTX said. “The discreet design of the machines and the Nice Packages themselves will allow users to engage comfortably without feeling stigma, and with machine usage data being instantly reported to our team, we will be able to make strategic adjustments to their locations. A major benefit of this medium is the mobility of the unit to move to higher traffic areas.”
More information about the Nice Package program can be found at freenicepackage.com where users can also order free, discreet condom and at-home HIV test packages to be delivered anywhere in the state of Texas.
source: press release
