RVA community invited to Drug Take Back Day event at VCU on Saturday, April 25

By Mary Kate Brogan and Jake Burns

Virginia Commonwealth University Police and students with VCU School of Pharmacy welcome members of the public to bring their unused and unwanted medications to a Drug Take Back Day event this weekend.

VCU’s Drug Take Back Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at the Checkers House at Monroe Park (near the intersection of North Laurel Street and South Cathedral Place). This event aligns with the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

This event will feature:

• Safe disposal of medications and community education on prescription medication safety.
• Demonstrations of how to use naloxone with Rams in Recovery’s Free Naloxone Bike and Stop the Bleed training information.
• Information about integrated primary care, home health and pharmacy services for older adults with CenterWell Senior Primary Care.
• A space for blood cancer donor match swabbing, in collaboration with Earl Young’s Team.
• Coffee and beverages at Espresso A-Go-Go’s Monroe Park take-out location.
• Alcohol education and blood pressure screenings with PRN Connect.
• Information on community programming and resources from RISE for Youth.

This event is a collaboration between students in VCU’s B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences program, Pharm.D. students in VCU’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists student organization and VCU Police.

Students will be present to educate the community on the importance of properly disposing of medications and how they can dispose of medications at home. They will share information about substance use disorders and will lead demonstrations on the use of naloxone, an emergency medication used for reversing an opioid overdose.

In addition to education, the goal of this event is to provide a safe place to dispose of medications. People are also encouraged to bring any vapes or cigarettes they may wish to dispose of.

VCU Health has year-round drop-off locations

Do you have expired or unused medication at home?

Self-serve take-back boxes are available at participating VCU Health pharmacies (see below) to help properly dispose of expired or unused medication. These take-back boxes are available year-round and include detailed instructions for properly disposing of medication.

Once the disposed medication has been placed in the take-back box, it will be secured and accessible only to pharmacy staff. 

The following VCU Health pharmacies have self-serve take-back boxes available: 

• VCU Medical Center Gateway Building, 1st Floor Lobby (1200 E. Marshall St.).
• Ambulatory Care Center Pharmacy, 1st Floor (417 N. 11th St.), 804-828-8329. Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
• Children's Hospital of Richmond, Ground Floor (1000 E. Broad St.), 804-828-6293. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
• Short Pump Pavilion, 2nd Floor (11958 W. Broad St.), 804-828-9977. 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday.
• South Richmond Pharmacy at Hayes E. Willis Health Center (4730 Southside Plaza), 804-828-8641. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
• Stony Point Pharmacy (9000 Stony Point Parkway), 804-828-8659. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.