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Senate approves adding psychiatric pharmacists to collaborative care model
Summary
The committee passed a bill to permit psychiatric pharmacists to participate in collaborative care teams; proponents said it fills an omission and allows local treatment teams to include pharmacists with psychiatric training.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (District 20) introduced a bill to allow psychiatric pharmacists to participate in the collaborative care model used by psychiatric treatment teams. Dr. Tabita Perez Sakkari, a pharmacist at the Arkansas State Hospital, told the committee she had transitioned from central pharmacy work to the treatment team and that pharmacists now help address contraindications and assist with treatment therapies.
Sullivan said stakeholders including the pharmacy and psychology associations indicated no opposition to the measure; a question from the committee asked what training psychiatric pharmacists receive and what role they would play in the collaborative care team. Dr. Perez Sakkari described training and participation on treatment teams and noted the billlanguage is permissive: teams "may" add psychiatric pharmacists rather than being required to do so.
No witnesses registered opposition during the committee hearing. The committee passed the bill by voice vote.
Why it matters: The change adds an explicitly authorized provider type to the collaborative care model, potentially widening team‑based options for psychiatric care. The bill does not mandate that teams include pharmacists; it only allows them to be added.
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