An active public education program supports the poison center's mission to reduce the incidence and severity of toxic exposures. Businesses, schools, child care centers and community groups can contact the center's educator to request an educational program on a variety of poison prevention topics. Each year, the center provides dozens of such lectures and presentations. Poison center staff participate in health fairs throughout the center's region, distributing pamphlets and telephone stickers to many thousands of Virginians.

Poison Prevention Week is a national injury prevention campaign that is observed during the third week in March each year. Its purpose is to raise public awareness about poisoning issues and the role of poison centers. With a theme of "Children Act Fast-So Do Poisons", the Virginia Poison Center sponsors a variety of activities during Poison Prevention Week to place special emphasis on unintentional pediatric poisoning.

A central message of the public education program is that an immediate call to the poison center is critical in the event of a toxic exposure. Stickers displaying the center's emergency number, to be placed on home telephones, are distributed to facilitate quick public access to this emergency service. Pamphlets and fact sheets that address poison prevention topics are another mainstay of the center's public education efforts. Videotapes on poison prevention with a variety of different topics can be borrowed for up to three weeks at no charge. The center makes moderate quantities of its printed materials available to individuals and groups free of charge. Larger quantities can be purchased for use by groups and businesses by using the order form.