The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) held their national convention in New Orleans, LA, July 27-30, 2018. CPNP members were once again involved in a variety of activities at the meeting including hosting a booth in the exhibit hall where CPNP volunteers answered questions from consumers at the ever-popular “Ask the Psychiatric Pharmacist” booth.
CPNP was selected to present a workshop this year after participating in a highly competitive selection process. CPNP member and Past President Charlie Caley, PharmD, BCPP, presented a workshop entitled “Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics: Know Your Medication Options.” Dr. Caley provided participants with a review of the available LAIAs and their therapeutic value for those individuals who require antipsychotic treatment and are considering this form of treatment. Dr. Caley said “Anytime pharmacists can support families and individuals about medication decision making to best achieve recovery, it is a privilege, and engaging attendees of NAMI’s national convention in New Orleans was no exception. It was great to experience the strong bond between CPNP and NAMI that was started 15 years ago.”
Consumer Relations Committee Chair Jodie Malhotra, PharmD, BCPP, led the volunteer psychiatric pharmacists visiting the "Ask the Psychiatric Pharmacist" booth answering questions on a wide range of medications and about CPNP. The NAMI attendees were very thankful for the volunteers. Volunteer Julie Kissack, PharmD, BCPP, said "I feel very blessed to engage with the NAMI attendees. This CPNP service confirms that being a psychiatric pharmacist is very important."
CPNP’s participation at NAMI would not have been possible without the help of numerous volunteers. Members providing their time and expertise as pharmacist volunteers at the booth included Brittany Finocchio, Carolyn Stout, Charles Caley, Cherry Jackson, Jodie Malhotra, Jose Rey, Julie Kissack and Thomas Maestri. Student volunteers included Abigail Paul, Alhlam Ayyad, Allis Hamby, Amid Paudyal, Ann Dinh, Anna-Kathryn Priest, Erica Olivier, Ghazal Maghareh, Jenna Hill, Mai-Truc (Britney) Nguyen, Page Clemons and Sarah Vines.
The Consumer Relations Committee encourages all members to reach out to their local NAMI chapters to benefit consumers and NAMI chapters in a similar fashion to that accomplished at the NAMI National Convention. To facilitate that possibility in an easier fashion, the Consumer Relations Committee provides several turnkey resources for CPNP member use including:
The NAMI 2019 Convention is scheduled for June 19-22, 2019, in Atlanta, GA. We hope you will consider participating in this event next year, especially if you are in or near Atlanta.