Originally published: July 2025
In less than two years, Calaveras County Public Health (CCPH) has experienced the benefits of using vending machines to make life-saving health supplies available for hard-to-reach populations, at no cost. Knowing vending machine programs were working well in other rural counties, CCPH realized it would be a smart investment in their own public health outreach efforts. What they didn't expect was how it would bring them closer to the community in ways they hadn't experienced before.
When CCPH began developing the pilot project in 2022, the goal was to use Future of Public Health (FoPH) funding to fill a vending machine with essential health care items for people who might not otherwise have access. The vending machine was purchased through a partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and CCPH stocked it based on needs assessment data from the county's
community health improvement plan (PDF, 1.7 MB).
“The Future of Public Health funding has been a transformative resource for our rural, high-need county. It has enabled us to address the distinct challenges our community faces — challenges that often differ significantly from those in other counties. The flexibility to allocate funds according to our local priorities has made a meaningful difference. It allowed us to increase staffing in ways that align with our specific needs and, in doing so, has significantly strengthened our capacity to serve the community effectively and sustainably."
– Colleen Rodriguez, MPH, MSW, CCPH Public Health Director
How It Works
The unique dispenser made its public debut in February 2024, placed in the lobby of Calaveras' Health & Human Services (HHS) building. Available items include oral health kits for both children and adults, NARCAN (the brand name for naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medicine), personal hygiene kits, condoms and tobacco quit kits — funded by their Tobacco Prevention Program, which include information on how to quit smoking, Kick It California contact information, gum, toothpicks and fidget toys. Since its launch, the vending machine has already been used more than 5,000 times. The county attributes its popularity to the fact that it's accessible, anonymous and takes away some of the stigma associated with sensitive public health needs.
“With it being housed in HHS, it gets traction among people who might not otherwise have access to some of these supplies," said CCPH Health Education Program Manager Haley Graham. “NARCAN, for example, costs around $80 over the counter, but this program removes financial and social barriers, making it easier for people to have life-saving resources on hand."
Favorable Feedback
News of the program spread through the community largely by word of mouth and feedback has been highly favorable. People who use it regularly say they are extremely grateful to have it. To access the supplies, they only have to enter their zip code, which ensures the county is serving its own residents. And that zip code data indicates a broad swath of the county is being served. That's a big return on investment for CCPH because they're now able to build genuine relationships with segments of the community they previously had a hard time reaching. They've been able to get to know the people who actually use the vending machine, to meet and talk with them, and better understand their real-life needs.
“It's simple — a toothbrush — but that could mean something," Graham said. "We're still working one-on-one with folks we first met when we started this project, and that's pretty special."
Another significant bonus of the vending machine being located in the HHS building is that it's helped CCPH bridge inter-departmental gaps. Because public health staff is housed in a building separate from HHS, they previously had little interaction. Now, they're working on a more personal level with people they've previously known only by name or phone, forging new and stronger relationships.
“We've started building relationships with people in other departments — people we hadn't interacted with before, even those who've worked for the county for years," Graham explained. “We're learning more about each other's programs and seeing how they connect, which has led to more collaboration."
Those connections have influenced a number of programs, such as tobacco and oral health, to use their own FoPH funds to help keep health supplies stocked because they witness first-hand how important the vending machine is to the community.
Long-Term Outlook
But finding long-term funding to keep the machine well-stocked is an ongoing challenge. While the county is still using FoPH funds to buy the health care items, they're always looking for innovative and inexpensive ways to bring the vending machines to outlying areas.
Case in point: One staff member acquired old newspaper kiosks, repurposed to distribute free, life-saving naloxone, and placed them strategically in fire stations, public libraries and the county's Dignity Health clinics in other areas of the county to extend the reach of the program. That inspired CCPH to create a map that shows where they're located, which also improves public access.
“By equipping community members with no-cost naloxone and knowledge about overdose prevention, we can save lives and offer hope to those struggling with addiction," said CCPH Health Officer Dr. Rene Ramirez.
CCPH says the vending machine and kiosks have been an important step in regaining the trust and confidence of area residents. They've worked hard to overcome the skepticism created by the pandemic and consider this a game-changer in terms of the community's perception of public health.
“People often assume public health is just about COVID, but this project has really helped shift that perception," Graham emphasized. “Now, public health is visible — people can experience the impact firsthand."
No matter where they are or what shape they take, these FoPH-funded vending machines are efficiently providing fundamental health care items. Every item dispensed is going a long way in healing Calaveras County communities through trust, goodwill and the offer of human dignity.