Sick on campus? Cal Poly students can now get medicine from vending machines
No one likes running to the drug store to buy over-the-counter medicine when they’re sick — and now, students and faculty at Cal Poly won’t always have to.
That’s thanks to four new medical vending machines stationed across campus, stocked with the basics needed to defeat common illnesses.
According to a Cal Poly news release, the vending machines offer allergy and cold medicines, pain relievers, fever reducers, personal hygiene products and sexual and reproductive health items.
People can pay for any of the products using a debit or credit card, the release said.
“This program is all about increasing access for our campus community,” said campus health and wellbeing medical director Ricardo Young. “Students and employees lead busy lives and sometimes don’t have the time to head over to the Health Center or visit an off-campus pharmacy to get the items they need. This is especially true for students, who often need access to over-the-counter items at times when our Health Center pharmacy is closed.”
The new program comes after the campus floated a pilot program last year, stationing one of the vending machines at the Poly Canyon Village dorms to see how students responded.
“We saw how students in PCV responded positively to having a medical vending machine so close to their on-campus residence,” Tina Hadaway-Mellis, assistant vice president for student affairs, health and wellbeing, said in the release. “That prompted us to further develop, with the support of our Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), and expand the program for the convenience of the entire campus community.”
The university also plans to extend the medical vending machine program to its new Solano campus, Cal Poly Maritime Academy, formerly known as Cal Maritime, the release said.
The four machines are located in various campus facilities. One of the machines will be accessible 24-7, the release said.
The vending machine locations and hours are:
- Canyon Post Mailroom at Poly Canyon Village: weekdays 12-8 p.m. and Saturdays 2-6 p.m.
- Pacheco Post Mailroom at yakʔityutyu: weekdays 12-8 p.m. and Saturdays 2-6 p.m.
- First floor of the Julian A. McPhee University Union: weekdays from 6 a.m. to midnight and weekends 7 a.m. to midnight
- First floor study space of Robert E. Kennedy Library: 24 hours a day
.JPG)