Relationships

This College Installed A Vending Machine With Plan B, So Now You Never Need To Panic

by Candice Jalili
Syda Productions/Shutterstock

Students attending the University of California, Davis no longer have to stress about the whole unplanned pregnancy thing.

Why not? Well, the university has installed a vending machine that carries everything you could possibly need from Plan B to condoms to pregnancy tests.

The vending machine, which is called the Wellness-To-Go machine, was the idea of university student Parteek Singh.

Two years ago, his friend needed some emergency contraception but couldn't seem to find it anywhere around campus when she needed it.

While the school's student health center, like most university health centers, does provide students with emergency contraception, the center is closed on weekends and after 5:30 pm on weeknights... AKA prime college party time.

That's when he thought about how nice it would be to have one vending machine where students could go to for all of their more ~personal~ medical needs, no matter the time of day.

When he originally came to his school with the idea, it was quickly rejected.

College officials then suggested they would instead start selling Plan B at the bookstore as a compromise. But Singh insisted that, because the bookstore also has set hours, this would still defeat his intended purpose of providing students with a 24-hour resource.

Fast forward two years, and the first Wellness-To-Go machine has been installed in the campus recreational center. Beyond the contraceptive equipment, the machine also carries pads, tampons and medications, such as pain relievers and allergy meds.

“Most college students are sexually active … and these resources should be provided to them," Singh explained to The Sacramento Bee.

The best part? It's not a rip-off. The machine gives students the chance to get Plan B for the cheapest possible price ($30) whenever they need it.

PlanB One-Step

Singh also brought up the important point that this method reduces the embarrassment factor for students who have to buy their contraceptions on campus.

He explained, "Students already don't feel comfortable buying it from pharmacies. Can you image [sic] buying it from another student?"

He certainly has a point. Buying Plan B from another student sounds like my personal hell.

So, yeah, I'd say this is a pretty awesome development. Singh has also stated he's mentioned the idea to some other very interested colleges, so hopefully, one will pop on more campuses soon.