OUR PURPOSE:
The Behavioral Health Pharmacy Advocates (BHPA) program is designed to equip pharmacists, technicians, student pharmacists, and all pharmacy personnel with the knowledge and tools to integrate mental and behavioral health services into everyday community pharmacy practice.
At BHPA, we are excited to build a network of pharmacy advocates passionate about reducing stigma, addressing social determinants of health, and expanding the pharmacist’s role in behavioral health care. Stay tuned for updates, resources, and future opportunities to join our program!
INTRODUCTION TO OUR TEAM:
BHPA is a research-based grant-funded initiative based out of Philadelphia, PA that began in 2023 through partnership between Community Behavioral Health and Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and in cooperation with Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.
Our team is a small yet mighty group of four, including faculty and staff members from St. Joseph’s University (SJU) and faculty from Community Behavioral Health (CBH):
OUR PROGRAM:
Our program combines 14 hours of Continuing Education (CE) through asynchronous online modules and a live, in-person session. These materials, developed by national experts, focus on key aspects of behavioral health care, including:
Screening & Patient Education
SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment)
Fundamentals of Mental Health
Opioids & MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment)
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) & Advocacy
Application with Patient Cases
Workflow Implementation
Participants receive a certificate upon completion for demonstrating their commitment to behavioral health care and advocacy!
To the experts who contributed to this program material & presentation:
Samantha Catanzano, PharmD, BCPP; George Downs; Oluwatoyin Fadeyibi, Pharm.D, MPH; Kelvin Lu, PharmD; Stephanie McGrath, PharmD; Andrew M. Peterson, PharmD, PhD, FCPP; Rick Silvia; Azucena Ugarte, PhD; Daniel Ventricelli, PharmD, MPH, BCMAS, FCPP; Casey Walker, PharmD; Melissa Weingartner, PharmD, MPH