Connect

UVA Health is committed to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of patients, visitors, and team members. We regularly review our safety policies and procedures and make updates to enhance the safety and security of everyone who enters our facilities. 

The current UVA Health weapons policy (Medical Center Policy No. 0174: Regulation of Weapons, Fireworks and Explosives and Enhanced Security Measures) states that patients and visitors are prohibited from bringing knives larger than four inches into any UVA Health facility. Effective April 10, 2023, this policy will prohibit all knives, regardless of size. This means patients and visitors cannot bring knives smaller than four inches (including pocketknives, utility knives, and multi-tool devices that include blades) into any UVA Health facility.

If you see a patient or visitor in possession of a knife of any size (or any prohibited weapon), please inform them of our policy and ask them to take the item back to their vehicle. If the individual does not wish to take the item back to their vehicle, they can drop it in the amnesty box located in the south tower/Emergency Department lobby and another box that will be added soon to the main hospital lobby, with no opportunity for the item to be returned to them.

If you are not comfortable approaching an individual in violation of the weapons policy, please contact the Security Dispatch Office at 434.924.5048 (staffed 24/7) and a security representative will be happy to assist. If at any point you feel threatened or unsafe, call 911.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact your supervisor or UVA Health Security at 434.924.5048.