When SWACH’s Community Health Improvement (CHI) department received Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) RCORP-Overdose Response funding in 2025, it marked more than a financial milestone. The new funding marked a commitment to rural communities in Klickitat and Skamania counties that have faced long-standing barriers to overdose prevention, substance use support, and access to care.
One of CHI’s first priorities was making sure life-saving supplies were reaching people in the communities that need them most. Since September 2025, CHI has continued supporting access to naloxone and other overdose prevention materials through free vending machine sites in the rural service area, including partners One Community Health, Klickitat Valley Health, and the Klickitat County Jail. Nearly 600 naloxone kits have been distributed through these sites.
The team monitors distribution rates, community need, and potential gaps in access. That information is helping guide the next phase of the project, including outreach to identify new locations for naloxone kiosks.
“We’ve been really involved lately in community engagement and outreach around expanding access to naloxone,”
said Ashley Gaffney SWACH’s Director of CHI.
“This would expand access through having 24/7 sites, with the kiosk ideally being outdoors, because indoor locations limit access if they’re not open 24/7.”
Expanding low-barrier access is especially important in rural communities, where transportation and infrastructure can make it harder to get support quickly.
