⬇Our Journey⬇

The BHPA program strives to empower pharmacy personnel to address behavioral and mental health needs in their communities, as behavioral health care is an often-overlooked area of pharmacy practice.

Our Pilot Study: Identifying Gaps and Opportunities

The BHPA team began with a pilot study across Pennsylvania to assess the needs and readiness of pharmacy personnel to integrate behavioral health services.

Key findings from the study:

📊 Over 90% of pharmacy personnel acknowledged the importance of behavioral health screenings but lacked the resources and training to conduct them effectively.

🔍 Nearly 55% of respondents lacked familiarity with tools like Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

Methodology

The pilot study surveyed pharmacists, technicians, and student pharmacists from community pharmacies across Pennsylvania, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, who helped to deploy the survey. Participants were asked about their confidence, training, and ability to conduct behavioral health services, including SBIRT, MHFA, and SDOH. The survey responses provided valuable insights into the challenges pharmacies currently face while also emphasizing their desire to expand the pharmacy scope of practice to include behavioral health care.

Discussion:

The study underscored the untapped potential of pharmacy professionals to address behavioral health needs within their communities. While knowledge gaps were identified, the overwhelming willingness of participants to engage in behavioral health training highlights an opportunity to bridge these gaps through structured, accessible programs like BHPA.

How BHPA is Making an Impact:

Through a combination of asynchronous modules and a live, hands-on training session, the BHPA program provides pharmacy personnel with the skills to:

✔ Perform behavioral health screenings and patient education

✔ Use SBIRT techniques to identify and refer patients to proper care and services, including patients with SUD or those undergoing medication-assisted treatment (MAT)

✔ Understand and advocate for patients facing BH treatment barriers related to SDOH and public health issues such as Intimate Partner Violence

✔ Implement behavioral health services into workflow, including related billing codes & operations

This pilot study laid the foundation for what BHPA has become today: a program that equips pharmacy professionals to confidently and compassionately care for patients with behavioral health needs.

We are excited to continue expanding this work and partnering with pharmacy teams to create healthier, more equitable communities.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse