CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville, and UVA Health all have deposit spots for Saturday’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the three announced.

Localities all over central Virginia have drop-off locations, including four in Albemarle, one sponsored by Charlottesville, and one at UVA Health.

“If medications are kept in your medicine cabinet, it really compounds a lot of risk factors,” Dr. Dania Chastain, PhD, a leading clinical psychologist specializing in pain management and opioid stewardship at the University of Virginia, told reporters during a conference call. “For example, somebody could find them an accidentally ingest them or they could start misusing substances. We see a lot of folks who are going through stressful situations with depression or anxiety who may self-medicate.”

“Also, if you keep (them) in your cabinet for too long, some of the medications may start to degrade because of the heat and humidity fluctuations that usually happen in our bathroom,” said Chastain.

The Charlottesville Police Department on E. Market St. will have a dropoff location for city residents right in the front of the building.

Albemarle will have four dropoff locations: Wegman’s at 100 Wegman’s Way, Crozet Family Medicine at 1646 Park Ridge Dr., Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital at 595 Martha Jefferson Dr, and Sentara Forest Lakes Family Medicine at 3263 Profit Rd, Suite 201. Sharps can only be dropped at the Sentara locations and they must be in puncture-proof containers.

UVA Health will have a dropoff location at the Emily Couric Cancer Center at 1240 Lee St.

They have eight continuously operating take back locations including the Emily Couric center, as well as the UVA Outpatient Pharmacy in the main hospital, Zion Crossroads, Pantops Pharmacy, Student Health Pharmacy, Bookstore Pharmacy, Pharmacy Ivy Rd., and Augusta Pharmacy. Sharps are not accepted at the UVA locations.

“Take Back Day offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at close to 5,000 local drop-off locations nationwide,” according to Albemarle Co.’s announcement.

“All collection sites will accept any unwanted or expired prescription or over-the-counter medications (please remove any identifying information from bottles), vape pens, and e-cigarettes,” the announcement said. “Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.”

New at the Sentara Martha Jefferson location this year is a pharmacist will be there to collect unopened, unexpired medications in the original manufacture packaging to be distributed to those in need.

Dr. Chastain said the easy access to bathroom medicine cabinets is a dangerous avenue for abuse.

“We see a lot of sharing and self-medicating,” she said. “Also just really altered consumption as some people start to experiment and instead of taking a pill they may try to use it in different ways like crushing, or snorting, or injecting it, or mixing it with other substances.”

She said they found out last year over 8 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers, and over 40% of those were either bought, stolen or given medications by a friend or relative.

The collections times are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for all the locations Saturday.