On Monday, July 21, a 10-member panel headed by Marty Makary, MD, MPH, commissioner of the FDA convened to discuss the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in pregnancy. Rather than recruiting a wide range of experts to discuss the best data available, the administration mainly invited clinicians and researchers who have a record of deep skepticism of antidepressants.
As a proud member of Project PAUSE (Psychoactive Appropriate Use for Safety and Effectiveness) — an ad hoc coalition of national patient and professional organizations collectively advocating on clinical regulatory and legislative issues in long-term care — we are working to help others understand Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases (ADRD).
The coalition is looking for:
On Thursday, July 24, the Trump Administration issued an executive order, Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets, and corresponding fact sheet.
To partially ease the impact of Medicaid cuts in rural areas, Congress included $50 billion in relief for rural hospitals in its reconciliation package, with eligible facilities including CCBHCs, community mental health centers, opioid treatment programs, hospitals.
In a letter dated July 29, SAMHSA says it will no longer fund “harm reduction” activities it describes as incompatible with federal law and inconsistent with Administration priorities. The letter draws distinction between harm reduction and opioid overdose reversal medications and included guidance on what supplies and services will continue to be funded.
For the past 4 years, AAPP has dedicated a tremendous amount of volunteer and staff resources to our Outcomes Initiative. The primary goal of the Outcomes Initiative is to increase demand for BCPPs by developing tools and by supporting research that demonstrates the value of BCPPs via evidence. As others begin to see the impact of BCPPs, they raise other complex questions about how they can be integrated and how many are needed.
Figure: Outcomes Initiative 1,000 Foot View
Kelly C. Lee, PharmD, MAS, BCPP, FCCP, FASHP
Psychiatric pharmacists are crucial members of mental health care teams who work in a variety of practice settings, from hospitals to outpatient clinics, and perform a variety of tasks depending on their settings and the patients they serve. This diversity in their roles and services benefits patients and health care teams; however, it presents challenges when trying to measure and understand the workload of psychiatric pharmacists.
President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to find ways to make it easier to forcibly hospitalize homeless people with mental illness and addiction for longer periods — an effort to fight what the administration calls “vagrancy” threatening the streets of U.S. cities.
Clayton English, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, BCGP, FAAPP, is part of a team of SoP faculty researchers at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy that has been awarded a $200,000 Tier 3 pilot research grant from the UW Population Health Initiative. The team’s work aims to address the rise in opioid overdose deaths, increasingly driven by fentanyl.
The mountains are calling and AAPP is answering! For the second time in the 27-year history of AAPP’s Annual Meeting, attendees will head west to Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah. SLC was one of AAPP’s most popular destinations offering beautiful surroundings and numerous attractions. Couple that with a recently renovated international airport and a convenient, affordable light rail for transportation and SLC becomes a must-visit city for AAPP members and Annual Meeting attendees.
Psychiatric pharmacists have enaged in team-based care for 40+ years, and the research is overwhelmingly positive about their contribution to access, outcomes and cost. Given the diverse practice models in use today, you can find results of pharmacist contributions to most types of mental health practice settings.
Thank you for your interest in registering for the Summit, offered by AAPP virtually, October 2-3, 2025. All purchases after the live event provide home study/enduring credit via session recordings.
If you are a pharmacist, practitioner, physician, educator, scientist, administrator, resident/fellow or student involved in the pharmaceutical care of individuals living with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders or have an interest in this area, we invite you to join the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP).
