Appeal-Democrat
YUBA COUNTY, Calif. — Two vending machines for dispensing a free, life-saving remedy when someone is in the throes of an opioid overdose are coming to Yuba County.
The Yuba County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a contract with the Yuba Sutter Healthcare Council Foundation to facilitate placement of Narcan vending machines at the Life Building Center serving the homeless population in Marysville, and another in the lobby of the Yuba County Health and Human Services Department in Linda.
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“The burden of the opioid epidemic is felt very heavily in Yuba County,” Dr. Phuong Luu, Bi-County Health Officer, told the board of supervisors.
The California Department of Public Health reported 1 opioid-related overdose deaths in Yuba County in 2023, the most recent full year of data available.
In the first nine months of 2025, Bi-County Ambulance responded to 17 emergency medical service calls related to opioid overdoses. The Yuba County Sheriff’s Department estimates it responds to at least one opioid overdose event each week, Dr. Luu reported.
Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, is a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses when administered timely. In March 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter use of Narcan, allowing for the medication to be sold and provided directly to consumers without the need for a prescription.
Yuba County Health and Human Services has, since March of 2023, distributed 480 Narcan kits to county staff and another 563 Narcan kits to community-based organizations, Dr. Luu reported, but more availability is needed, she noted.
“We all know there continues to be significant stigma associated with substance use disorder in our community and many individuals may not want to ask for Narcan kits for themselves, their family members, or friends for fear of outing of them that they are current opioid users,” she said. “Obtaining Narcan kits anonymously removes the access barrier.”
Dr. Luu noted that Narcan vending machine already exist in many states and that several California counties have also implemented temporary. She said the experience of these states and counties is there is no real risk of kits being resold or diverted.
She also noted that California’s Good Samaritan law protects those giving emergency medical care at the scene of a medical emergency, including giving naxalone.
Dr. Luu said the Yuba Sutter Health Care Foundation has taken a lead in addressing overdoses and fatalities related to opioids, fentanyl and other drugs in Yuba and Sutter communities. In 2020, it launched the Community Overdose Prevention Efforts (COPE).
The contract provides $100,000 over 19 months to acquire vending machines, provide data analysis of it use, and acquire free Narcan kits from the state of California.
The money is not coming from the county general fund. Funding for the project is coming from funds the county received as part of the Janssen Parmaceuticals and Distributors Settlement Opioid Abatement funding.
The board approved the contract with a unanimous vote.
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