UCSF's hand towel dispensers should all be replaced with automatic units, especially in patient care areas. Hand hygiene is crucial in preventing health care associated infections. And proper drying is an essential part of hand hygiene. I did a brief review of literature and I found several studies, including one meta-study, that showed using automatic hand towel dispensers could improve hand hygiene and reduce potential for spreading infection. 

I have personally witnessed broken towel dispensers on several units. This causes two problems: first, the hand washer touches a "dirty" part of the dispenser with clean hands, and second I see way too many towels being dispensed leading to waste.