County updates agencies on drug-tracking system and sharps disposal challenges

Pittsylvania County staff told the Fire & Rescue Commission on May 20 that the county’s narcotics inventory system is rolling out and that agencies should plan for new disposal costs after regional disposal changes.

"Bountree now has the complex supplies for the narc ID system, which is good because that's the system the county bought for all the agencies in the county," one staff member said, describing the RFID tags, containers and boxes now available through the vendor. The county purchased a centralized system to help agencies track controlled medications and protect personnel who manage those supplies.

County staff also said Danville SOVA has ceased accepting sharps containers from EMS agencies because of licensing requirements. "Danville SOVA is no longer taking sharps containers from EMS agencies to dispose of," staff said, and the county has reached out to SOVA and other vendors about options. The commission was told some agencies on the south end of the county may need to pay for sharps disposal and that reverse distribution (returning unopened or expired controlled medications to a certified destruction vendor) will require use of licensed providers and DEA-compliant processes.

Staff encouraged agencies to coordinate with local pharmacies and vendors that can accept small returns and to contact the county drug committee (Casey and staff) with questions. The commission was told that, for agencies already live on the county narcotics system, hospital turnaround has improved, which should shorten return-to-service times for units.

No formal action was taken by the commission; staff said the committee will continue outreach to vendors and the association to identify a cost‑effective disposal pathway.