Tag Archive for: NavigatingFutureHealthcare

Smart Health Access: The Rise of Wellness Vending Machines

/in /by

January 29, 2026 | 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. ET

Navigating the Future of Healthcare

Smart Health Access: The Rise of Wellness Vending Machines

What if getting Narcan or a hygiene kit was as simple as using an ATM?

With American Indian and Alaska Native people experiencing one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the U.S., Urban Indian communities are installing Wellness Vending Machines that provide free, anonymous access to Narcan, fentanyl test strips, condoms, hygiene kits, smudge kits, Plan B, and needle exchange supplies. These machines expand access, reduce stigma, and empower individuals to manage their health on their own terms bridging service gaps and promoting safer, healthier outcomes for all.

Presenters:

  • Johnny Delgado, BAIHP
  • Dr. Ashleigh Herrera, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, California State University, Bakersfield

Objectives:

  • Learn how medical vending machines work and how they’re being used to expand access to care, reduce stigma, and serve as tools for prevention.
  • Identify the steps and partnerships to implement this model in urban Indigenous communities
  • Discuss how low-barrier innovations like vending machines can support prevention, wellness, and outreach efforts.

Audience:

  • UIO ED/CEOs
  • UIO Staff
  • Tribal Partners and Tribes
Register

Innovating Through Storytelling: Health Campaigns in the Digital Age

/in /by

February 26, 2026 | 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. ET

Navigating the Future of Healthcare

Innovating Through Storytelling: Health Campaigns in the Digital Age

This session is the final learning opportunity in our Community of Learning (COL) Series: Navigating the Future of Health Care. Grounded in innovation and community-centered practice, this session explores how storytelling can be used to co-create health campaigns with community rather than delivering messages to them. Participants will gain practical strategies for meaningfully engaging community voices throughout campaign design and implementation, and learn how to select digital platforms and impact measures that prioritize trust, engagement, and real-world impact over one-way information sharing.

Presenters:

  • Lyz Best, Manager of Technical Assistance, NCUIH
  • River Carroll, Policy and Communications Associate, NCUIH

Learning Objectives:

  • Use story mapping to co-create health campaigns with community members, centering lived experience and cultural values.
  • Identify practical strategies for meaningfully involving community voices throughout the design and implementation of health campaigns.
  • Select appropriate digital platforms and impact measures that reflect community engagement, trust, and real-world outcomes.

Audience:

  • UIO ED/CEOs
  • UIO Staff
  • Tribal Partners and Tribes
Register