The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted a public workshop on July 10 and 11, 2024: Addressing Workforce Challenges Across the Behavioral Health Continuum of Care. The 1½-day workshop explored the needs and challenges in different settings of behavioral health care, such as primary care, schools, and social services agencies, and examined strategies to improve the infrastructure needed to provide greater access to quality mental health care services. Among the invited speakers was ACCP member Thomas Bateman, Pharm.D., BCACP, presenting on the role of clinical pharmacy in mental health management, particularly in populations that are underserved.

Bateman is a clinical assistant professor with Rutgers, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. He currently serves as the lead clinical pharmacist of Henry J. Austin Health Center, a federally qualified health center in Trenton, New Jersey, where he also serves as the residency program director for the PGY2 ambulatory care residency program. He was invited by the NASEM Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, of which ACCP is a sponsoring member, to discuss the integration of clinical pharmacists and pharmacy navigators into the primary care team and providing care in ambulatory care settings.

The workshop slides and recording are publicly available and can be accessed here, including those from Bateman’s presentation. Proceedings of this workshop will be published in the coming months on the NASEM website.

ACCP would like to acknowledge and thank Bateman for his expertise and participation in this NASEM workshop and in ACCP’s advocacy efforts to improve mental health care.