President’s Message: Passing the Torch and Continuing the Important Work of the CPNP Foundation

The CPNP Foundation envisions a world in which individuals with psychiatric and neurologic disorders receive optimal treatment, live free of stigma, and achieve their full potential.  Our mission focuses on enhancing the capacity of pharmacy professionals to provide effective and compassionate treatment of individuals with mental disorders. As supporters of the CPNP Foundation, we know you live this same mantra day after day as you work to ensure patients receive the most effective, safe and compassionate care possible.

As we enter our 2017 year-end campaign, the CPNP Foundation is asking you to extend your impact as a psychiatric pharmacist and make a generous donation to support the work we do to ensure individuals with psychiatric and neurologic disorders receive optimal treatment, live free of stigma, and achieve their full potential. 

Here is just a sampling of the impactful work your donation supports:

• Through its Defining the Future Grant Program, the Foundation has once again supported grants to three individuals researching treatment in PTSD, Substance Use Disorder, and Safe Opioid Prescribing. Please read the related article in this edition of the Kaleidoscope and congratulate the individuals who received the awards. Be sure to review their findings at the Annual Meeting in April 2018.
• To further the understanding of stigma and social distancing among community pharmacists as a beginning point to make inroads to decrease stigma among all healthcare providers, the Foundation has collaborated with Dr. Vincent Giannetti and colleagues at the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy to explore community pharmacists’ knowledge of and attitudes toward mental illness and the services they provide. The project has been completed. The findings are pending publication but are described in general on the Foundation website at cpnpf.org/top-initiatives. In addition, The Mental Health Pharmacy Directory at mentalhealthpharmacies.com currently has over 1,000 pharmacies. 
• The Foundation will once again award twenty student grants to attend CPNP 2018 in Indianapolis. We have seen a large upsurge in student chapters on college campuses to over 38 chapters as well as student participation at our Annual Meeting. I am pleased that we are able to “pay it forward” for up and coming clinical pharmacy specialists. Further making an impact on students and reduction of stigma, the Foundation will be offering an 8-hour course at the Annual Meeting that provides participants the chance to become Mental Health First Aid certified.

You will also notice in this newsletter that we have highlighted our newest Legacy Partner, Rex Lott.  As you may recall, the Foundation established a bequest program where individuals have the opportunity to leave a legacy that supports the Foundation after your lifetime. We encourage you to consider this as an additional conduit to make a bigger, more lasting impact. There are multiple options when considering a bequest. Feel free to reach out to a Board member for further discussion. We would love to hear from you!

As you can see, the Foundation has been busy working on its strategic goals. While I complete my term as President at the end of this year, I will continue on the Foundation Board as Past President. The Foundation will be in excellent hands with our new President, Cindy Kirkwood. I look forward to continuing our work with Cindy and the Board on furthering our mission and vision. Please consider making a donation to the Foundation for any amount as your budget allows. Your generous gift will get us closer to making our vision a reality. I am truly grateful for your continued support.