Nevada County Public Health has opened its fifth Health Supply Vending Machine at Brighton Greens Resource Center (988 McCourtney Road in Grass Valley). The machine provides an additional access point to existing free and confidential county health products that save lives, prevent chronic disease, promote mental and physical health, and reduce harm at one of the County's most high-traffic facilities.
"Brighton Greens sees about 60 people each day, connecting them to employment services, food assistance and more. The vending machines have been hugely successful in our other locations, and we're excited to increase access and remove barriers to these products that can help save lives and improve the health of our residents," said Nevada County Public Health Program Manager, Toby Guevin.
Across the five vending machines, Public Health distributes about 110 products each week. The most popular products are naloxone (Narcan), first aid kits and oral health kits for adults and kids. In addition to vending machines in high-traffic areas of the county like Brighton Greens and Crown Point in Grass Valley and the Joseph Center in Truckee, Public Health also tried to locate machines in areas of the county that are further away from some county services, like North San Juan and Penn Valley.
The vending machines are available at:
- Grass Valley Brighton Greens 988 McCourtney Road. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Grass Valley Crown Point Facility, 500 Crown Point Circle. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Penn Valley Western Sierra Medical Clinic 10532 Spenceville Rd. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- North San Juan Community Center 29190 CA-49. Follows Community Center hours that vary.
- Truckee Joseph Center 10075 Levon Ave. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
All products in the health access vending machines are free and residents can register online or in-person at the machines for a unique pin number to access products. Products available through the vending machines include:
- Naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl test strips
- Adult and children’s oral health kits
- First aid, hygiene and grooming kits
- Medication and sharps disposal kits
For a full list of products, residents can review the vending machine menu. Residents can learn more about the health access vending machines by visiting www.KnowOverdoseNC.com/vending-machines.
