EMS Drug Kit Transition Webinars

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) in collaboration with the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) and the Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists (VSHP), is pleased to announce a series of webinars that will cover the upcoming drug kit transition affecting Virginia’s EMS agencies in 2025. Subject matter experts from the Drug Enforcement Administration, pharmacy and hospital partners, as well as other regulatory bodies will be keynote speakers in these training sessions.

These 60-minute webinars will be held bi-monthly and will be recorded and posted on the OEMS website for those unable to attend. A registration link for these trainings is included below.

EMS Drug Kit Webinar – Shared Insights from Rural and Urban Agencies
April 3, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (noon)
This webinar featured panelists from rural and urban EMS agencies, and shared successes and challenges they encountered during their drug kit transitions.

If you were unable to attend this webinar, please refer to the information below:

Contact Information for Panelists:

EMS Drug Kit Webinar – Hazardous Medication Waste and Disposal
Feb. 26, 2025, 2:30 p.m. 
This webinar featured panelists from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and covered information regarding the management of hazardous medication waste and disposal.

If you were unable to attend this webinar, please refer to the information below:

EMS Drug Kit Webinar – DEA, Virginia Board of Pharmacy and OEMS Considerations
Feb. 5, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
This webinar featured panelists and topics including the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) use of the CSOS and Form 222, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and EMS Audits, as well as OEMS and the decision by agencies to carry or not carry medications. Webinar panelists include:
Virginia Board of Pharmacy: Wendy Ashworth, Senior Inspector, Virginia Board of Pharmacy, Department of Health Professions; Beth O’Halloran, RPh, Deputy Executive Director, Virginia Board of Pharmacy, Department of Health Professions; Caroline D. Juran, RPh, Executive Director, Virginia Board of Pharmacy, Department of Health Professions
Drug Enforcement Administration: Edward Logan, DEA; Justin Wood, DEA
Riverside Health System: Cindy Williams, B.S.Pharm, FASHP, Vice President/Chief Pharmacy Officer, Riverside Health System
Virginia Department of Health, Office of EMS: Rachel Stradling JD, BS, REHS, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Public Health and Preparedness, VDH; Michael Berg, MPA, NRP, EMS Systems Funding, OEMS; R. D. Passmore, NRP, TS-C, Director – Regulation & Compliance Enforcement Division, OEMS. If you were unable to attend this webinar, please refer to the information below:

    • DEA, Virginia Board of Pharmacy and OEMS Considerations Webinar PowerPoint Slides
    • DEA, Virginia Board of Pharmacy and OEMS Considerations Webinar Recording
      The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington Division (DC, MD, VA) points of contact are listed below if you need any additional support, you may contact them directly.

EMS Drug Kit Webinar – Purchasing and Inventory Management
Jan. 9, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
This 60-minute webinar featured subject matter experts Gill Abernathy (pronounced “Jill”), MS, RPh, Pharmacy Manager, Acute Care Purchasing & Contracts, Inova Health System and Nikolaus J. Lawson, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, Director of Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and Children’s Pharmacy Services, LLC. Topics covered included EMS drug kit inventory set-up and management practices. If you were unable to attend this training session, please refer to the information below:

EMS Drug Kit 101 Webinar
Dec. 5, 2024, 5:30 p.m. 
This 60-minute webinar featured subject matter expert Cindy Williams, B.S.Pharm, FASHP, Vice President/Chief Pharmacy Officer with Riverside Health System. The following topics were covered: An overview of regulatory licensure and requirements of establishing a EMS drug kit program, An overview of establishment of purchasing for an EMS drug kit program, Lessons from the field, Q&A session. If you were unable to attend this training session, please refer to the information below: 

Last Updated: April 8, 2025