Connect

For the first time ever, UVA Health Outpatient Pharmacies dispensed 1 million medications in a single year. This achievement is about more than volume. It’s about our pharmacy team’s commitment to meeting the needs of our patients by going above and beyond during a time of growth.

“We weren’t aiming for a specific target,” says Chief Pharmacy Officer Danielle Griggs, PharmD, MBA, MS. “We have been responding to patient and community needs, growing and expanding across all of our locations, and offering a high level of service and care, so patients want to stay within the UVA Health outpatient pharmacy network for their pharmacy needs.”

Expanding to Better Serve Our Patients

Here are some of the key efforts that have led to our expansion of pharmacy services and the increase in the number of medications dispensed to patients.

• Retail Pharmacies | In communities lacking pharmacy services, our organization has aimed to fill the void. One of the most recent retail pharmacy locations we’ve opened is UVA Health Pharmacy Stoney Creek in Nellysford. “This was our opportunity to respond to a community need, offering a retail pharmacy in a place that's considered a pharmacy desert, which means there’s not a pharmacy around for 30 miles or more in any direction,” says Griggs. “We opened this location in 2023, and we’ve seen continued growth month over month.” The addition of Stoney Creek brings our total number of outpatient pharmacy locations to nine, and Griggs says she expects more community locations to be added in the future.
• Ambulatory Clinic Outreach | Partnering with clinics and providers across the health system, the pharmacy team has extended its reach in an effort to support more patients. “We have expanded our clinical services into more ambulatory clinics, including Gynecology Oncology, Neuro Oncology, Neuromuscular, Dermatology, and others,” says Griggs. “By providing a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to work with the patient population in those clinics, we are building a relationship. They receive care from a pharmacy team member and fill their prescriptions within one of our pharmacies, keeping their care within UVA Health and within Epic, which benefits patients by improving transitions of care.”
• Medication Assistance | The pharmacy team serves as an invaluable resource for patients, helping them overcome barriers that limit access to medications like high copays and prior authorizations. Adding dedicated pharmacy technicians in more areas, including our oncology and UVA Health Children’s clinics, allows us to provide support to a greater number of patients.

• Meds 2 Beds Program | The Meds 2 Beds Program, which delivers prescriptions directly to patients before they’re discharged from the hospital, is now servicing all acute care units. “From blood pressure medications to post-surgery medications, our UVA Health Pharmacy at Education Resource Center [ERC] fills those prescriptions and delivers them to patients in their hospital room before they leave,” says Griggs. “It’s a great service. Patients love it. Providers love it. And now it’s house wide.”
• Home Infusion Pharmacy | With the addition of new medications, our UVA Continuum Home Infusion Pharmacy is serving more patients who require complex infusion therapy to manage conditions like cancer, rheumatologic, and neurologic conditions. “Being able to offer complex infusion therapies in a more comfortable environment outside of an Infusion Center is a benefit for patients,” Griggs says.
• Home Delivery | The UVA Specialty and Home Delivery Pharmacy, which delivers medications to patients via mail or courier, now serves patients in 14 states, with South Carolina, Colorado, and Florida added in FY25. A new Pharmacy Centralized Services Center, scheduled to open in spring 2026, will expand capacity further with automation and new technology. “This facility will help us continue to grow, serve patients more efficiently, and enable further expansion of clinical and access programs,” Griggs says.

A Team Effort

With every new service and program expansion, the pharmacy team grows and rises to the challenge. This year, UVA Health has added 10 pharmacists and technicians to support new clinics and programs. Some of these new additions arrived through our Earn While You Learn Program, which offers pharmacy professionals on-the-job training.

“The team has been exceptional in being flexible and pivoting, adjusting where necessary to be able to support the increasing volume. They are focused on keeping patients first, and I think that is reflective in the number of patients who want to stay with our pharmacies and continue to receive their medications through UVA Health,” says Griggs. “That’s ultimately the driver of high volumes. Patients have a great experience using our pharmacies — and that’s a direct result of our team’s efforts.”

More Than a Number

While hitting 1 million medications is a milestone worth celebrating, Griggs emphasizes that it represents something much bigger: improved patient care. “Volumes come if patients are adherent to their medications,” says Griggs. “When pharmacists counsel patients about side effects or technicians help patients work through any access barriers, patients are more likely to stay on their medications and experience better outcomes. That’s the real measure of success.”