The USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in partnership with the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), recently announced the introduction of two new vending machines stocked with various products including hygiene essentials, emergency contraception and medicines.
USC’s campus first saw a pharmacy vending machine in early 2019 at King Hall. That machine was relocated to the Health Sciences Campus when King Hall was renovated in HERE.
The two new machines, which are open 24 hours per day and available for public use, are located in the USC Village and at the Royal Street Parking Structure.
“We definitely prioritized accessibility with the Village [location] and privacy with Royal,” USG President Divya Jakatdar said.
The Village machine is open for public use, but the Royal Street machine is under maintenance.
Students praised the machine’s subsidized offerings and its convenient operation.
“It makes stuff more accessible and easy to get. Especially, if there’s an emergency at night since everything in the Village closes at 10,” senior Brandi Blair said. “It’s also at a cheaper cost to students than CVS or Target.”
Staff at USC Pharmacies will be responsible for the contents of the machine, according to the Mann school.
These vending machines contain the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, a product that health officials are urging the public to keep on hand in case they encounter somebody experiencing an overdose.
They accept Apple and Google Pay, along with other major contactless card payments, and are offered through a partnership from USC Pharmacies and USC Student Health.
“At USC Pharmacy, we’re always looking for new ways to improve and expand access to health care,” said Raffi Svadjian, the executive director of community pharmacies at USC.
Members of the USG heavily pushed for the machines to sell emergency contraceptive pills. The USG and USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences co-funded the cost of the drug, selling it for a fraction of the retail price, according to chief campus health officer Sarah Van Orman.
According to Planned Parenthood’s website, the average emergency contraception pill costs anywhere from $10 to $50. USC’s machines sell them for $5.
“With the changing landscape of reproductive health, we wanted to make sure students had easy access to pregnancy prevention,” USG Vice President Michelle Lu said.
Jakatdar believes students have found the Village vending machine useful.
“After the first week of the Village launch, there were over 120 people using it,” Jakatdar said. “And we hadn’t even advertised it yet.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the USG and USC Student Health co-funded the cost of emergency contraceptive pills. The USG and USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences co-funded the cost of the drug. This was corrected on February 12, 2024.