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Working as One UVA Health team from Charlottesville to Northern Virginia — University, Culpeper, Haymarket, and Prince William Medical Centers held Fall 2026 National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 24.

UVA Health CEO Mitch Rosner, MD, MACP, FRCP, and his wife, UVA Health’s Michelle Rosner, CRNA, MSN, RN, joined fellow UVA Health team members who volunteered their time and energy on a Saturday to support our strategic plan goal of cultivating healthy communities — and initiatives of patient safety, resource stewardship, and more.

Charlottesville

It's part of a nationwide effort first launched by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2010.

At the Charlottesville drive-up or walk-up drop-off event — outside Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, 1240 Lee St., across from the main entrance to UVA Health University Medical Center — for four hours, dozens of drivers pulled up curbside and rolled down windows so volunteer team members could safely collect unused or unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications — no questions asked.

Each driver received a poison control information magnet — and sharps safety instructions and medication disposal brochures, including a list of area locations for safe, year-round drop-off. Sharps were not accepted at this event, but free, safe, sharps disposal containers were distributed.

Volunteers helped set a record, collecting 272.5 pounds — more than triple (x 3.57) the haul from the spring 2026 event of 75 pounds!

Area resident and UVA Brain Institute Senior Research Program Officer "Catherine "Katie" Pelland, PhD (pictured above, right) shared a personal reason for dropping by Drug Take Back Day: "My dad passed away earlier this year, and figuring out what to do with his leftover medications was one more thing for my mom and me to sort out. I was glad to see the Drug Take Back Day announcement, which gave us an easy and responsible way to dispose of unused medications. And as a team member, I’m happy to support community initiatives that make things a little easier for local families."

UVA Health Pharmacy, UVA Department of Anesthesiology Pain Management Division, UVA Office of Pain Management and Opioid Stewardship (OPMOS), and UVA Police Department sponsored the event.

Robert Goldstein, MD, former Medical Director, Pain Management Center, and former Division Chief of Pain Medicine, retired in 2025, but remains active in other roles. It's Dr. Goldstein's 2023 winning submission to the UVA Health SPARK Innovation Competition that expanded drug take back efforts across our health system.

Organizers included Dr. Goldstein; Khaing Nwe Phoo, MHA, Assistant Administrator, Department of Anesthesiology; Dania Chastain, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, UVA School of Medicine, and Founder and Director, OPMOS (watch her Oct. 23 interview on local media to spread the word!); Wendy Carlton, Program Director, OPMOS; Justin Vesser, PharmD, Director, Ambulatory Pharmacy; Brianna Wagoner, PharmD, PGY1 Community Pharmacy Resident; Gregory Say, PharmD, Ambulatory Pharmacist; Lt. Maeve O’Neill, University Medical Center Safety and Support Unit, UVA Police Division; and UVA Health Strategic Marketing and Communication team members.

Other volunteers included:

• Abdulalkarim Awwad, Pharmacy Technician
• Victoria Bailey, MD, PGY4/CA3 Anesthesiology Resident
• Christian Renwick, MD, PGY3/CA1 Anesthesiology Resident
• Hunter Schmelling, Student, UVA School of Nursing
• Priyanka Singla, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, UVA School of Medicine, and her children: Ananya and Arnav
• Donna M. White, RPh, BCACP, CDCES, Pharmacy Clinical Lead, Ambulatory Care

Lt. O'Neill's day wasn't done when the collection ended. She then drove the final haul an hour and a half to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) site in Appomattox, Virginia.

UVA Community Health

Also on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., unused medications were dropped off for safe disposal at three UVA Health Prescription Drug Take Back Day events in Northern Virginia. Rozlyn Giddens, Program Manager, Community Engagement, UVA Community Health, reports that at:

• UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center, about 20 encounters resulted in the collection of 138.6 pounds. UVA Health volunteers included Sabnam Acharya, RN; Radha Bhandari, RN; Yvonne Labram, PharmD; Arati Pantha, RN; Jodee Rowe, Clinical Unit Coordinator; and Lorena Smith — with Haymarket Police Department's Master Police Officer R. Naj and Officer Anderson.
• UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, about 15 encounters resulted in the collection of 74 pounds. UVA Health volunteers included Jonathan Meli, PharmD, MS, Director of Pharmacy, UVA Community Health; Michelle Curran, Clinical Professional Development Specialist; Candace Ly, Assistant Manager, Pharmacy; and Sommer Young, PharmD.
• Culpeper Police Department drop-off site, officers and UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center volunteers logged 19 encounters that resulted in the collection of 59 pounds including 561 bottles of medication — another record setter!

“Our team, in conjunction with Town of Culpeper Police Department, and Encompass Community Supports, always looks forward to addressing our community health need of behavioral health/mental health/substance use by helping take expired and retired medications from our community,” says Jeff Say, Program Manager of Community Engagement, UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center. “The 59 pounds collected on Oct. 24 was the most we have received from the public in four years — which is impressive considering we also are accepting expired medications in our Emergency Department, and the Town of Culpeper Police Department also collects on a daily basis.”

“We want to thank all the UVA Health team members and our law enforcement partners who supported another successful DEA Drug Take Back Event!” says Meli.“This event provides our communities a method to safely discard unneeded medications to reduce the risk of accidental poisonings, prevent potential diversion, and avoid the danger of medication misuse.”

Thank you to all UVA Health and UVA team members who spent weeks planning the event, spreading the word, volunteering during the event (and bringing some family members along!) — and the hundreds of area residents in Charlottesville, Town of Culpeper, Culpeper County, Haymarket, Manassas, and Prince William County who took the time to gather their unused medications and safely dispose of them at Drug Take Back Day sites!

SAVE THE DATE: Mark your calendar for the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 24, 2027!