Department of Health Professions
Press Releases and News

• April, 2013 - Virginia will participate, Saturday, April 27, 2013 in the sixth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.  Sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, this collaborative effort between state and local law enforcement agencies provides residents with an opportunity to dispose of potentially dangerous controlled substances from their medicine cabinets in an environmentally safe manner.  Collection activities will take place from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. at sites designated by law enforcement throughout Virginia.  Click here for more information.
• February 23, 2013 - Virginia Board of Nursing Initiates Bi-Annual Orientation for Nursing Leaders - Virginia Board of Nursing (BON) Executive Director, Jay Douglas, R.N., M.S.M., C.S.A.C., conducted a workshop on BON 2013 laws and regulations to nursing leaders and employers of nurses at the Department of Health Professions.  Click here for a full summary of the presentation.
• January 9, 2013 - "New Frontiers for Virginia’s Healthcare Workforce” Forum Summary - The Healthcare Workforce Data Center (HWDC) recently released five reports compiled from 2011-2012 surveys of healthcare licensees from the professions of dentistry, nursing and pharmacy.  Read more about the forum and what was discussed here.

• October 30, 2012 - Hurricane Information - Extension for license expiration and late fees - Governor McDonnell signed Executive Order No. 53: Declaration of a State of Emergency for the Commonwealth of Virginia Due to the Threat of Hurricane Sandy Impacting Virginia. In response the Department of Health Professions will extend expiration dates until November 9, 2012 for any licensee with an October 31, 2012 expiration, further any late fees shall be waived for renewals that are submitted on or before November 9, 2012.
• October 24, 2012 - Virginia Board of Optometry joins with the US Food and Drug Administration to Alert Consumers of Risks Associated with Non-Prescription Decorative Contact Lenses - Halloween inspired cosmetic contact lenses can prove to be a health hazard. Read the full Alert.
• October 5, 2012 - Meningitis outbreak linked to steroid injection; expanded drug recall - The CDC and FDA in a joint telebriefing held on October 4, 2012 stated, “Out of an abundance of caution, CDC and FDA recommend that all healthcare personnel cease use and remove from their pharmacy inventories any product produced by the New England Compounding Center.” For more information view the CDC advisory letter, a Letter from the Virginia State Health Commissioner and the Board of Pharmacy web site.
• August 29, 2012- Extension of renewal requirements for deployed military and spouses - Virginia law allows active duty service people or their spouses who are deployed outside the U.S. to have an extension of time for any requirement or fee pertaining to renewal until 60 days after the person’s return from deployment.  The extension cannot last beyond 5 years past the expiration date for the license.  For more information, please read attached policy and contact the applicable board for your license.
• May 1, 2012 - Virginia physicians over the age of 55 are increasingly working full time hours later in life while fewer young practitioners are working full time hours.  Females make up a majority of Virginia’s physicians under age 35 for the first time in Virginia’s history.  Read the Press Release.
• April 26, 2012 - Virginia is among 13 states to join the fight against drug diversion and illegal use of prescription pain medication through increased online technology. The implementation of this technology comes at a time when prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. Read the press release.
• April 19, 2012 - Information on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, April 28th 2012.
• January 24, 2012 - Department of Health Professions Healthcare Workforce Data Center Releases a Profile Of Virginia Nursing Education Programs. 2010 Annual Survey of Practical And Registered Nurse Education Programs Shows A 6.1 Percent Increase In Graduates.

• October 11, 2011 - Virginia Board of Nursing Honored with National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 2011 Regulatory Award for Excellence
• May 11, 2011 - In observance of the 2011 National Nurses Week activities, the Board of Nursing (BON) launched a new online licensure application process for Registered Nurses (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).
• April, 2011 - National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, April 30th 2011

• October, 2010 - Data a Vital First Step in Projecting Nurse Workforce Capacity - Institute of Medicine (IOM) findings are representative of the continued need for improved data collection on the health care workforce.
• September 16, 2010 - Virginia Healthcare Workforce Data Center Reports Supply of Medical Doctors Outpaced by Demand Through 2030
• January 8, 2010 - Virginia Department of Health Professions Launches DHP Healthcare Workforce Data Center
  

• June 3, 2009 - News Release: Health Professions Announces Direct Notifications - Follow-up to Statewide Notification of Prescription Monitoring Program Security Breach
• Copy of June 3, 2009 notification sent to persons whose PMP records contained a nine-digit number that could be a social security number
• Copy of June 3, 2009 notification sent to registered users of the PMP
• May 6, 2009 - News Release: Statement on Potential Breach of Security for Prescription Monitoring Program

Diane Powers
Director of Communications
Diane.Powers@dhp.virginia.gov

Virginia Department of Health Professions
Perimeter Center
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300
Henrico, Virginia 23233-1463
Phone: (804) 367-4400
Fax: (804) 527-4475
Directions to our office