Growing the Next Generation of Psychiatric Pharmacists

By Cynthia Kirkwood, CPNP Foundation President

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the CPNP Foundation in 2017. With your generous contributions, the goal of $40,000 was surpassed by $21,865. All I can say is that you all are awesome!

Over the past year, I have been with sick family members during hospitalizations on several occasions. I can attest that disjointed care prevails. After a tense conversation with a consultant during the last visit, I finally asked to speak with the pharmacist. Not surprisingly, the pharmacist happened to be a former student who listened to our medication concerns, took a thorough history, pulled up and explained lab results, and developed a plan of action to present to the physician. To me, this pharmacist was a shining star amidst the bevy of healthcare professionals caring for my relative. I reflected on the mentoring that this graduate had during their pharmacy training and residency. It reinforced to me how important it is for us as teachers, mentors, advisors, and preceptors to provide meaningful opportunities early on in pharmacy students’ training so they can evolve into caring, compassionate pharmacists. It made me grateful for all the CPNP members who have contributed over the years to support pharmacy student travel to CPNP annual meetings, continuing their professionalization into psychiatric pharmacists.

As we move into 2018, the CPNP Foundation Board remains focused on our mission to enhance the capacity of pharmacy professionals to provide effective and compassionate treatment to individuals with mental disorders. Our efforts strive to connect pharmacy professionals and individuals living with mental disorders and their caregivers to ensure effective and compassionate treatment as well as connect pharmacy professionals working to advance innovation in mental health treatment. Important initiatives include:

• Mental Health Directory – to continue to grow the number of pharmacies identified as mental health friendly to assist patients and their families where they live.
• Student Travel Scholarships - to fund 20 scholarships for students to offset the cost of attendance at the annual meeting in Indianapolis. Students will have the opportunity to present their posters, participate in student programming, complete Mental Health First Aid Training, and network with residents and pharmacists practicing in the specialty area where these students aspire to practice.
• Defining the Future Grants – to grant support for innovative research that enhances care for patients with mental disorders.
• Bequests – reach out to members to ask that they consider leaving a legacy to support the future activities of the Foundation.
• Support NAMI’s StigmaFree Campaign – to promote the importance of being StigmaFree through individual commitments to practicing StigmaFree, the NAMI Walk, and through a Discussion Den focused on identifying concrete items we can all take back to implement in our daily environment.

My hope is that one day every patient with a mental disorder, whether an inpatient or an outpatient, will be connected to a caring pharmacist to assist them with identifying and solving all their medication-related needs, just as my family and I experienced recently. With your assistance, this can become a reality. Please support the CPNP Foundation as you register for CPNP 2018 or through a donation at the Foundation website as the Foundation works to make these important connections.