A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients

A psychiatric pharmacist can play a critical role in addressing health disparities in black patients by managing both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric conditions. Black patients experience disparities in the treatment of both hypertension and mental health disorders, highlighting the need for innovati...

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Main Authors: Stephanie L. Hsia, PharmD, BCPP, MAEd, Shirley Wong, PharmD, APh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists 2025-08-01
Series:Mental Health Clinician
Subjects:
Online Access:https://theijpt.org/doi/pdf/10.9740/mhc.2025.08.222
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author Stephanie L. Hsia, PharmD, BCPP, MAEd
Shirley Wong, PharmD, APh
author_facet Stephanie L. Hsia, PharmD, BCPP, MAEd
Shirley Wong, PharmD, APh
author_sort Stephanie L. Hsia, PharmD, BCPP, MAEd
collection DOAJ
description A psychiatric pharmacist can play a critical role in addressing health disparities in black patients by managing both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric conditions. Black patients experience disparities in the treatment of both hypertension and mental health disorders, highlighting the need for innovative care models. This paper describes the integration of a psychiatric pharmacist into a primary care clinic to provide comprehensive medication management for hypertension, psychiatric disorders, and tobacco use disorder in black patients. The integration of this model faced challenges, including limited pharmacist funding and provider unfamiliarity with the psychiatric pharmacist’s role. We describe how these barriers can be mitigated through relationship-building and demonstrating the pharmacist’s value in patient care. This model highlights the potential for psychiatric pharmacists to provide whole-person care, addressing both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric conditions and working to reduce health disparities. The implementation of psychiatric pharmacists in primary care settings may serve as a strategy to improve equitable health care access and outcomes for black patients.
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spelling doaj-art-cf6434707aa84d06bebffb8f405fb39d2025-08-23T16:55:39ZengAmerican Association of Psychiatric PharmacistsMental Health Clinician2168-97092025-08-0115422222610.9740/mhc.2025.08.222i2168-9709-15-4-222A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patientsStephanie L. Hsia, PharmD, BCPP, MAEd0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7377-9842Shirley Wong, PharmD, APh1https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0371-81121  (Corresponding author) Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Southern California Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Los Angeles, California2  Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy, San Francisco, CaliforniaA psychiatric pharmacist can play a critical role in addressing health disparities in black patients by managing both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric conditions. Black patients experience disparities in the treatment of both hypertension and mental health disorders, highlighting the need for innovative care models. This paper describes the integration of a psychiatric pharmacist into a primary care clinic to provide comprehensive medication management for hypertension, psychiatric disorders, and tobacco use disorder in black patients. The integration of this model faced challenges, including limited pharmacist funding and provider unfamiliarity with the psychiatric pharmacist’s role. We describe how these barriers can be mitigated through relationship-building and demonstrating the pharmacist’s value in patient care. This model highlights the potential for psychiatric pharmacists to provide whole-person care, addressing both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric conditions and working to reduce health disparities. The implementation of psychiatric pharmacists in primary care settings may serve as a strategy to improve equitable health care access and outcomes for black patients.https://theijpt.org/doi/pdf/10.9740/mhc.2025.08.222psychiatric pharmacyhealth disparitieshypertensionmental healthhealth equityblack americans
spellingShingle Stephanie L. Hsia, PharmD, BCPP, MAEd
Shirley Wong, PharmD, APh
A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
Mental Health Clinician
psychiatric pharmacy
health disparities
hypertension
mental health
health equity
black americans
title A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
title_full A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
title_fullStr A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
title_full_unstemmed A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
title_short A primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
title_sort primary care psychiatric pharmacist clinic for addressing hypertension and mental health disparities in black patients
topic psychiatric pharmacy
health disparities
hypertension
mental health
health equity
black americans
url https://theijpt.org/doi/pdf/10.9740/mhc.2025.08.222
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