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Supporting our UVA Health strategic plan goal of Strengthening Our Foundation through our resource stewardship initiative — UVA Health Pharmacy Services is introducing new, curbside recyclable Cold Chain Technologies Rx Naturals packaging at several pharmacy locations.

This initiative — designed for refrigerated, specialty, and controlled room temperature medications — will serve more than 25,000 patients annually while potentially keeping 27,000 pounds of packaging out of landfills every year. “I am very proud of the efforts of our pharmacy team to promote sustainability throughout pharmacy operations as resource stewardship is a key priority in the UVA Health strategic plan,” says Danielle Griggs, PharmD, MBA, MS, Chief Pharmacy Officer. “Pharmacies are heavily reliant on paper and materials that too often end up in a landfill. We hope that by making this transition, we will make a difference in caring for our patients and the environment.” 

“We were looking to align across pharmacy locations to one universal shipping supply vendor for the refrigerated and controlled room temperature medications we send to patients and other pharmacy locations,” says Carrie Kovacik, PharmD, MSHA, Manager, Ambulatory Pharmacy Supply Chain. “In this search, we prioritized the sustainability of the supplies along with their safety and quality.”

She adds that Nathan Hart, PharmD, Josh Weber, PharmD, MBA, CSP, 340B ACE, and the UVA Health Pharmacy Enterprise team worked together early on to shape this idea, and it was executed in large part by the Specialty Pharmacy leadership team of Hart, Weber, and Amber Monopoli, CPhT, Manager, UVA Health Specialty Pharmacy.

The project took about nine months from conception to reality, with a phased rollout across locations — the first launch at the UVA Health Specialty and Home Delivery Pharmacy in mid-October, then Continuum Home Infusion in November. Both are primary locations that provide home delivery services to patients.

“We are so proud to bring this innovation to our patients,” says Monopoli. “Not only does it enhance the care experience, but it’s also a meaningful step toward protecting the environment. Seeing how excited patients are about a solution that’s better for their health — and the Earth — is truly rewarding!” 

The new packaging uses a cellulose-based insulator. “Our patients at the Continuum Home Infusion Pharmacy in particular, will see a significant change moving from a Styrofoam™ cooler to the cellulose-based insulator,” explains Kovacik. “For Specialty and Home Delivery, our patients will notice the insulator is no longer plastic-wrapped.”

“It’s one more way we’re making healthcare accessible, sustainable, and patient-centered,” she adds, explaining that the team will keep options open to evaluate sustainable alternatives to other packaging, such as plastic medication vials, in the future. 

Learn more about other recycling options in Charlottesville or find a recycling center near you.