News and Insights for Psychiatric Pharmacists

The Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (JACCP), is creating a themed issue titled “Breaking the Cycle: Advancing Substance Use Disorder Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery”. Submissions (due 7/15/25) may focus on clinical, economic, social, implementation, or other forms of outcomes; innovative team-based care models; and other opportunities to advance the care and treatment of patients with substance use disorders.

AAPP is pleased to announce the selection of its inaugural class of 2025 AAPP Fellows. The AAPP Fellows Program recognizes members who have demonstrated excellence in advancing the practice of psychiatric pharmacy and have distinguished themselves in advancing the mission and goals of AAPP, thereby promoting public awareness of the profession.

AAPP joined leading mental health groups urging Congress to protect Medicaid, the single largest payer of mental health and substance use care. In the midst of our nation’s ongoing mental health crisis, the importance of protecting people’s access to life-saving services was emphasized in the letter.

Mental Health America reports on how social media is impacting young people’s mental health, relationships, and daily lives. "Breaking the Algorithm" brings together insights from over 900 survey respondents, focus groups with young people, and conversations with our youth co-researchers to explore.

Congratulations to Megan Ehret, Jennifer Martin, Emma Palmer, Elayne Ansara, Amber Douglass, and all the other members making an impact in psychiatric pharmacy!

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released important information related to "Special Registrations for Telemedicine and Limited State Telemedicine Registrations," "Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter," and "Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients."

AAPP and the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) met in Alexandria, VA, to discuss lessons learned regarding pharmacists’ patient care services payment. For 2025, JCPP member organizations have prioritized advancement in gaining recognition of and payment for pharmacists’ patient care services, including supporting their members’ ability to sustain and grow provision of patient care services throughout the healthcare system.

AAPP wrote in support of any policy changes that streamline prior authorization and remove administrative burdens on providers. This includes public availability of internal plan coverage policies, better patient awareness of appeal rights, and data collection of the rationale for and outcomes of denials and appeals.

SAMHSA has updated national guidance for crisis care that now reflects the national transition to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022 and other progress and emerging needs related to behavioral health crisis care, and provides a framework for transforming behavioral health crisis care systems in communities throughout the United States.

SAMHSA provides guidance on essential specialty substance use disorder (SUD) care that articulates an essential set of services for adults with SUD that should be available at any specialty SUD treatment facility in the United States.

SAMHSA issues a brief that highlights the pressing concern of Black youth suicide and the role state leaders can play to address Black youth suicide in their communities.

Viana Salinas, PharmD, has tips for pharmacy trainees working in an interdisciplinary team!

My teaching philosophy is deeply influenced by my mother, who dedicated her life to her students. From her, I learned that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. I strive to create a nurturing environment where each learner feels supported, recognizing that they are unique individuals with their own stories, backgrounds, and challenges.

View results of the AAPP 2024 Residency Program Director Survey. Responses represent 2/3 of PGY2 psychiatric resident slots currently available.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the months and years pass. Seems like yesterday we were at AAPP 2024 with many of you, and now we are in the final weeks of 2024 fresh off our November Board retreat where we evaluated goals, strategies, and measures of success for your association. During the retreat, we set our eyes on the future and acted to evolve our strategic planning processes to be more fluid and continual to support quick reaction and shifts as needed. Early next year, we will start to introduce the components of this iterative strategic planning process which you will play a critical role in as AAPP members.

Complete your volunteer interest profile/application on or before November 19! AAPP is truly a member-driven organization with 1 in 6 members volunteering for AAPP in some capacity. From now through November 19, AAPP is encouraging members to sign up to serve on one of over 25 committees, councils, editorial boards, and/or task forces. These opportunities range from well-known committees like our Program Committee to more narrowly focused task forces such as our Employer Resource Center Task Force.

The 2023-2024 academic year has been another outstanding period for our AAPP collegiate chapters, showcasing their dedication to promoting psychiatric pharmacy and mental health awareness. Forty-seven collegiate chapters submitted annual reports, highlighting significant community service, campus activities, research, and professional growth. The 2023-2024 year also saw 64 in-person attendees to the annual AAPP meeting, with sixteen posters presented across eleven schools of pharmacy.

AAPP community leaders, committees, and taskforces have been hard at work planning the next AAPP Communities Week, a 3-day virtual event taking place October 21-23, 2024! This event is exclusively for AAPP members, and you’re invited!